Into the Darkness
by DreamerOfTheDay
Summary: Skyloft has fallen to the darkness, leaving Link and Zelda without a place to call home. Together, they must find the third piece of the Triforce and destroy the Heartless that are plaguing the surface below... Along the way, they meet many travellers, some who will assist on their journey! Now featuring Ezio, Alistair, Aqua and Nariko! *Updating early chapters*
1. Chapter I: Before the Festival

**CHAPTER I: BEFORE THE FESTIVAL**

Since the beginning of time, legend has told of an epic battle between darkness and light. When the three gods of old departed from the world that they created, they trusted their ultimate power, the Triforce, to the hands of Hylia so that she could protect it. She did just that, resulting an era of peace - until one dark and fateful day, a crack opened up in the earth and the Demon King Demise and his monstrous hoards spewed forth from the fissure. Wanting to make the world his own, the Demon King gathered an army of monsters and together launched a brutal assault on the land simply known as the Surface, murdering the people without hesitation, burning its forests and choking its springs, all in their lust to take the Triforce from Her Grace.

In order to prevent the great power from falling into the hands of Demise, Her Grace gathered the surviving humans on an outcrop of earth with the Triforce and sent them skyward, beyond the reach of evil forces wreaking havoc upon the surface world. After sending her people beyond the clouds, the goddess created a barrier to separate the people of the sky from the world below. With her chosen people safe above the clouds, the Goddess and the tribes who remained on the surface joined forces to defeat the great evil that was plaguing the land. Eventually, the Demon King Demise was sealed away, restoring peace to the land.

Until now, that is. A new evil has arisen to take the place of Demise, an evil far more dangerous than anything that has come before it. This time, the enemy is darkness itself.

Many years after the events that shaped the course of history, a young man by the name of Link was experiencing dark dreams that hinted at his destiny. Everywhere was darkness. He could feel it muffling his every movement, and it was almost as if he could feel black tendrils reaching down his throat. He tried to flee the crushing darkness, calling for help as he ran. It weighed down on him, not only with physically, but mentally as well. The shadows had become so thick that he could not move or breath, his only option to let go and end his struggle.

"Hey! Wake up sleepy head!" A familiar voice echoed throughout the darkness. He felt the pressure on his body lift, and the twisted shadows begun to shrink away.

The voice became clearer. "Link, you lazy bum! I knew I'd find you snoozing down here!" As the voice became more defined, a warm, golden light cut through the shadow. Link blinked several times to become accustomed to the light, and when his vision cleared, he found himself staring into the round crystal blue eyes of his best friend Zelda.

"No, no, this big black thing swallowed me up! I couldn't breathe, I couldn't… I dunno." Link shuddered at the odd feeling he was left with.

"Link, have you been dreaming again?" she said, smiling at him as one does a child.

"It felt so real… Ugh." Link fell back into the grass and inhaled deeply. "Zelda, do you ever wonder about other places? I mean, not other floating islands, but places with other people? Like us?"

"I can't really say… I guess so." Zelda lowered herself down next to Link and rested her head on his chest. "Can I tell you something? And can you promise not to think I'm weird?" She had a worried expression on her face.

"What is it Zelda? You know you can tell me anything." Link gently placed his hand on Zelda's long golden blonde hair.

"I think… I think… I can hear someone calling to me. From beneath the clouds."

"What are they saying?"

"Nothing. And yet, at the same time… everything. It's never a defined voice, but I know for certain I am being called there. I don't know why… but I have a feeling that something strange is going to happen." Zelda reached up and placed her hand on Link's.

"Don't worry Zelda. No matter where we go, or... what we see... I know we can always come back here. Besides, as long as I'm here you've got nothing to worry about!" replied Link, gesturing to himself proudly.

Zelda sat up again and turned to face Link. "Link… Don't ever change."

The two of them were staring into each other's eyes, both trying to read the other's thoughts. They leaned in, getting ever closer, when suddenly, a tall, lanky young man burst through the bushes, looking rather uncomfortable. Zelda screamed and spun around at light speed to face the intruder. "Fledge! What're you doing!"

"Uhhh…" he blushed, laughing awkwardly. "Hey Link, Zelda. Gaepora sent me to tell you that he needs your help in preparation for the goddess festival." Fledge looked down at his feet, and tapped them on the ground, to avoid making eye contact. "I… Uhh... I guess I'll be going now!" With those parting words, Fledge awkwardly ran off in the opposite direction.

"Poor kid. Someone should really do something about Groose. He walks around like he owns Skyloft, and he's got Fledge terrified." Link smiled to himself. She always thought of everyone else.

As the pair stood up and began to walk away, Zelda peered over her shoulder to take a glance at the clouds that masked the surface land. The voices called out to her again, and this time, Zelda swore it was a cry for help. Link noticed that Zelda had stopped following him, and he turned around to see her looking out to the sky. He snuck up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, squeezing Zelda in a tight hug.

"C'mon Zelda, let's go!" Zelda looked into his eyes, and saw that they were full of hope and happiness. It felt reassuring to be in his presence.

She smiled. "Mhm. Let's get ready! Tonight is going to be good."

"Last one there has to kiss Groose!" Shouted Link, as he took off sprinting towards the Knight's Academy.

"No fair! Why did you get a head start!" shouted Zelda, begrudgingly chasing behind him.

The sky was its usual bright self on the day of the Goddess Festival, bathing everything in the warmth of the sun. Each year the citizens of Skyloft partake in a festival in celebration of Hylia, and the day is filled with singing, dancing, food and drink. Skyloft took its place amongst the clouds so long ago that most people no longer believed that there was anything below them.

Knowing how chaotic and stressful preparations could be, Link and Zelda immediately made their way to Gaepora, Zelda's father, and Headmaster of the Knight's Academy, who was behind his desk patting his little remlit.

"Aww, Mia. You are so cute! Yes you are! Who's a good girl? Mew mew mewww-" Gaepora's cuddling was cut off short when his daughter opened the door to his room. "Ahem. Excuse me." He put Mia down on the ground, watching with delight as she scampered away. Link and Zelda briefly exchanged a look of wonderment before Gaepora began to speak. "As you both know, I have been planning something special for tonight's big show. There will be a performance as usual, except this time we are doing a new story that I have written. I want you two," - he pointed to Link and Zelda – "to be the stars of my big play. Zelda will play the Goddess, and you, Link, will play the Hero of Light."

As the headmaster was explaining his plans, an angry eavesdropper was listening in through a crack in the door. Jealous of Link's place beside Zelda, he began to turn a livid shade of red that matched his pompadour. "Cawlin. Come here. I need to hit something!" he snarled.

"What is it? What were they saying?" Cawlin hesitated, trying to make his 'friend' forget about the desire for hitting him.

"Zelda and Link are to be together in tonight's performance. They are going play the Goddess and her hero. Why would Link get chosen! He's puny! Not big and strong, like the great Groose!" Groose showed off his guns to himself in his reflection and smiled. Cawlin and Strich both looked at him with great admiration. "We need to do something about this. Think Groose… Think! Hmmm…"

He pressed his ear to the crack, waiting for any usable information. "I know! They're using their loftwings in the ceremony. I'll kidnap Link's, and that way Gaepora will have no choice but to pick me!"

Strich turned to face Groose. "What about Pipit?"

"He's too old. Besides, everyone has seen him flirting with that Karane girl. Old Gaepora seems pretty serious about this performance, and I don't think he'd want someone who couldn't focus himself on Zelda. C'mon guys. We got ourselves a bird to catch."

The three of them were giggling like buffoons, when Horwell, another instructor at the academy, snuck up behind the trio. "What are you fools up to? Off with you!" He said, shooing at the boys. He knocked on the door and entered the Headmaster's room. "Gaepora, everything is almost ready for the festival. I trust that you have gotten these two up to speed?"

"Indeed I do, Horwell. Link, Zelda, take these costumes and go get ready in your rooms. When you are ready, take your loftwings to the sky, and stay out of sight until you see the signal. Do you remember the signal?"

Link waved his arms above his head, looking oddly like a marionette as he did so.

"Not that signal. That's only if something goes wrong. Zelda?"

"When we see the flame alight on the statue of the goddess, we are to descend, and land together."

"Right. Make me proud." Gaepora kissed Zelda on the forehead, and patted Link on the shoulder. "Now go and get ready!" He returned to his seat and picked up a book off his desk. Link noticed that it was called 'The Lusty Argonian Maid,' and took that as a signal to leave.

"I'll see you in the sky. We better get ready soon, it's almost dark and the loftwings won't fly." Link gave Zelda a quick high-five. "See you soon buddy!"

Zelda walked off towards her room hurriedly. Link started toward his room, when he felt someone's gaze upon him. Uncertain if the hall had gotten colder or it was just his imagination, he dashed through his door, quickly closing it behind him.

Link unwrapped the costume he was given. It looked more like something a Knight of the Academy would wear, rather than the hero of legend. Then again, the academy modelled the uniform after what they knew of the outfit that was worn many years ago. Just as he pulled up the boots, and fastened the buckle, a robed figure emerged from the shadows. Link jumped to his feet, watching the intruder warily. Something about the presence set him on the edge, causing him to recall the dream he had earlier in the day. It felt like he was in the room with darkness itself. He charged at the shadow, but his fists just passed through as if there was nothing there. Link could feel something clawing its way down his throat, as if it were trying to steal his voice. He tried to shout out for help, but nothing came. The shadowy figure spoke directly to Link's mind, the voice echoing inside his head.

"_This world has been connected. Tied… to the darkness... soon to be completely eclipsed. There is so very much to learn. You understand so little."_

There was a screech as Link's loftwing pushed its head through his window. Whatever was in his room, the loftwing had scared it away. Link knew the festival would start soon, so he pushed the figure to the back of his mind until later. His bird screeched again, eager to take to the skies. Link jumped out the window and onto his loftwing. As he took off, he looked back to his room once more, and he swore he could hear someone laughing. Before Link could contemplate it further, Zelda called him. He looked up, and pulled his bird up so that he was gliding alongside Zelda.

"I'm really excited, Link! Nice outfit!"

Link stammered his response. "Uhh. I. Um. Wow. You look… Beautiful."

Zelda laughed, and flew off to hide her cheeks, which were now flushed with a deep red.

"Hey! Wait up!" Link soared after her, but not before noticing a scrap of cloth stuck in the crimson plume of his bird. He pulled it out, and noticed it was part of somebody's clothing. Link couldn't figure out who it belonged to.


	2. Chapter II: The Silent Realm

**CHAPTER II: THE SILENT REALM**

Link and Zelda watched on high, gliding around gracefully atop their Loftwings. Zelda's long blonde hair was glittering in the light of the setting sun, making it appear as though it were made of liquid gold – something Link had always greatly enjoyed. The two of them danced through the sky together, keeping a careful eye out for the lighting of the signal fire which was due to appear in mere minutes. As the sky darkened, so too did the land floating below them. The usually beautiful sight gave Link inkling that something was wrong, no doubt a by-product of the dream he had experience earlier. In turn, this called him to recall the dark presence that had appeared in his room as he changed into his outfit for the performance. The shadow slowly crept along the ground and eventually reached the giant stone statue of the Goddess that towered over the village. From his new vantage point, he could clearly see the whole statue and noticed that the expression of the Goddess was one of a fierce protector, rather than one of benevolence. Link found himself enjoying the thought of a battle maiden Goddess over a mother-hen type figure. Zelda called out to him as she readied herself to begin their part of the show. The fire flared to life, lighting up the eager faces of the people below. Everyone from Skyloft was watching and waiting for the spectacular finishing act of the show, something that Gaepora had promised to be revolutionary and exciting.

Zelda swooped down low, blazing past the heads of the crowd. Link followed suit, daring to get a little closer than Zelda, knocking Gaepora's hat to the ground as he did so. Raucous laughter erupted from the audience, while Gaepora only smiled nervously as he dusted off his ceremonial headgear. Link and Zelda weaved in and out of each other as they ascended sharply before fanning out at the peak of the climb. They pulled up on the birds and looped backward over each other, which drew many cheers from their friends. The music swelled from a gentle jazzy number into a rather upbeat groove, signalling Link and Zelda to ready themselves for landing. They hovered beside each other and looked each other in the eye. Link gave an encouraging wink, and they spiralled toward the ground in a move normally only performed by the most masterful of flyers. The two of them released their holds on the birds, waiting until they had flown away safely before pulling out their sailcloths. As they floated down gently, the crowd went wild with excitement over the finishing move. They touched down and took a low bow, smiling at the audience who were all very impressed.

Gaepora walked to the front of the stage area, dressed in his 'Wise Old Owl' costume. He told the story of Skyloft's beginning, having the audience utterly enraptured.

Out in the back of the seating, a woman screamed at the top of her lungs. More screams added to hers as people saw what was happening. Link stepped in front of Zelda instinctively, protecting her from whatever was coming toward them through the crowd.

Groose pushed through the last few people until there was no-one between himself and the stage. His body was moving erratically as he stammered toward Link, and horrific noises escaped his throat. Groose's skin began to bubble and distort until it was stretched so thin that it tore open. Everyone watched in horror as bits of skin and flesh fell to the ground. Groose cried out in agony before he exploded into a dark gory mess that sprayed out everywhere. In the epicentre of the explosion stood a small and black, almost rodent-like creature with glowing yellow eyes. It exhibited the same awful twitching movements that had taken over Groose's body earlier. A fresh wave of terror washed over everyone as it dissolved into the ground and hiding itself from everyone's view.

What happened next, nobody was prepared for.

The people who had been hit by the aftermath of Groose's shocking transformation began to howl with pain as they became corrupted by the darkness. It spread throughout their bodies like a virulent poison until it turned them all into more of those tiny creatures.

"LINK! LOOK OUT!" screamed Zelda, pointing to the ground behind Link. The shadow that had vanished was quickly reforming, readying itself to attack Link. He dodged its first few swipes, but it was much too fast for him to keep up.

Just as it was about to land a strike, a golden triangle appeared on the back of Link's left hand. A wave of energy pulsed outward, causing everything to freeze in place. He turned around to see the same thing happen to Zelda who was staring around, wide-eyed and shocked.

"Link, what's happening?" she asked, her voice wavering.

"Stay close. We will find out soon enough, I am sure," he said, taking Zelda's hand in his own. She had a golden triangle, too, and it felt warm to the touch. "What could these mean?"

"I think I may know. My father…" she glanced in his direction, uncertain of what she would see, "I once overheard him talking about something called a Triforce. It was left behind by the three Goddesses who created the land below the surface, long before our Goddess raised us to keep us safe. The three parts of the Triforce are said to be the most powerful artefacts in existence."

"So that means..?"

"I think the goddess is watching over us."

"Then where is the third person, with the third part of the Triforce? I don't think it is anyone in Skyloft, otherwise we'd have seen them… here. Where are we exactly? It's so… quiet."

"I believe we are in one of the Goddess' Silent Realms_. _The Goddess used them to test a hero of old, long ago, when Skyloft was first threatened by a great evil." Zelda said, thoughtfully.

"If this is a test, then where is the -"

Link's question was cut short as Zelda tackled him to the ground, narrowly avoiding the end of a particularly nasty looking blade. A few strands of Zelda's golden hair floated to the ground, landing beside the tip of the blade now wedged into the earth. Both of them looked up the blade at its wielder. Staring back at them were deep, blood red holes where eyes should have been.

"Hey!" An unknown voice called out to them. "Listen!"

Link grabbed Zelda's hand and pulled her in the direction of the voice. "Someone is calling us, over this way!" Link was panting quite heavily now. He immediately regretted not sticking to the recommended fitness training set out by the Knight's Academy.

The creature was still pulling at its axe, attempting to dislodge it from the ground. Link couldn't help but think how lucky he was that Zelda was there.

"Watch out!" The voice called again. Link spun on his heel to see that the creature had well and truly removed the weapon from the ground. It was now dashing towards the two of them with alarming speed. The voice called out again, and Link finally caught sight of what was calling for them. A tiny blue ball of light was bouncing around frantically. "Quickly! This way!" the ball of light sped off down the path leading to the light tower at the edge of Skyloft. Link helped Zelda up onto the ladder, and just as Link started his climb, several of the creatures converged at the base of the ladder. Link mustered up the last of his stamina, and leapt up a few more rungs, putting himself safely out of harm's way. As Link scrambled onto the surface of the tower, and pulled his feet up, everything seemed peaceful again. Zelda peered over the edge to see if the creatures were still pursuing them. She sighed in relief when they weren't there. Link collapsed onto the ground out of exhaustion.

"Thanks for helping us; I don't think Link would have survived if he had to run much further." Zelda waved her hand at the motionless body of her companion. Zelda noticed, now that she was no longer running for her life, that the ball of light had tiny wings, which were beating furiously. "Are you a…?"

"A fairy! My name is Navi."

Zelda almost squealed with excitement, only ever having been told of fairies in her storybooks. "I am Zelda, and this is Link."

Link grunted in recognition of the introduction.

"Ugh! Can the fate of the world really depend on such a lazy boy!" exclaimed Navi.

Link raised himself up off the ground, and looked around. From this high point, Link could see almost all of the lower areas of Skyloft. He eyes took in his surroundings, and he noticed that this place was much the same as Skyloft, save for a few key details. The rivers and streams coming from the waterfall were running red, in the same dark, bloody shade as the eyes of the creatures that tried to kill him and Zelda. Looking further, Link also realised that there was no sky – just nothing. It wasn't black, or white, or anything… Just nothing. He turned back to look at his friend, feeling slightly uncomfortable with all the changes made to Skyloft. He especially didn't like the nothing, something about it just made him very uneasy. Zelda returned his look with an easy smile, instantly alleviating some of his worry. Zelda opened her mouth to say something, but Link interjected. "So… you going to tell us what's going on here?" Zelda shook her head slightly, dismayed at how rude Link seemed sometimes.

"You are in this place – this Sacred Realm – because the world is in danger. Not just your little paradise of Skyloft, but everyone on the surface below the clouds. I know not where you will go on your journey to save us, but I can be certain it will be immensely dangerous. You will need all the help you can get, and there are many people whom you will meet, and eventually travel with, to plunge head on into the darkness you must face. I trust you saw what became of your red haired friend?"

"It was horrible. He… That wasn't really Groose, was it?" Zelda was visibly shaken by recalling the recent memory.

"It was indeed Groose. He became so jealous of Link that the darkness spreading throughout the world was able to latch onto the feelings within in his heart. Finally, when he was not even able to capture your Loftwing and prevent you from performing, and having been so humiliated when defeated by a mere bird, the darkness completely took over him. As he had not a very strong heart, the creature he produced was of a similar calibre. They are called the Heartless, and they have only one goal: to bring everything into darkness. That is why it is up to you, Zelda, and – IS HE SLEEPING?" Navi froze in the air and fell to the ground.

"I'm awake," murmured Link, still sprawled on the ground.

"GET UP!" yelled Navi.

"I can hear you just fine from the ground, you know," Link mumbled dopily.

"He's not like this all the time, I swear!" said Zelda, who was trying to suppress a slight laugh.

Navi flew down to Link's face, and a tiny pair of hands reached out, and grabbed a lock of his hair. She pulled with all her might.

Link sprung up, startled and clutching his forehead. "What was that for!"

"Listen! You, Zelda, and the other Triforce bearer are the only ones who can save everyone. Other people may try, but without the divine powers bestowed upon you by the mark of the Triforce, they will be powerless to seal off the world from darkness! Your marks will allow you to summon a powerful weapon to aid you in combating the darkness. But you must yet earn your weapons. They are located inside the statue of the goddess, and you _must_ retrieve them. As soon as you step off this tower, you will have a small amount of time before the Guardians – who have been tainted by the darkness, which has even managed to infiltrate this beautiful place – are going to realise you're there, and they will come after you relentlessly. Once you have claimed your weapons, this realm will shatter, preventing the darkness from corrupting it further. Are you ready to run?" She aimed that last part directly at Link.

"Just one more thing… Why us?" asked Link.

"That… I do not know. I fear I never will either."

"I'm ready." Zelda had a look of fierce determination upon her face.

If she was that determined to do this, then he was too. "Let's go," replied Link.

They walked to the edge of the tower and peered down. The Guardians were no longer surrounding the tower, but they could not have moved too far.

Zelda slid her hand into Link's and gave him a light squeeze. He turned to her, and smiled. They were ready.


	3. Chapter III: Fight!

**CHAPTER III: FIGHT**

Link and Zelda landed noiselessly. Navi floated down, and urged the two onwards.

"What are you waiting for? The Guardians won't stand still forever!"

The two of them ran towards the Goddess statue, and passed by many Guardians, all standing still. Their blood red gaze was not fixed on anything, which made Zelda find these monsters even more terrifying. Just as Link passed another monster, its eyes snapped to him. The silence was broken, and the chase was on. They hurried up and around the twisting paths leading up to the statue. As they reached the last set of stairs, Link turned and slammed the gates shut. That should buy them a little bit more time, he hoped. Once at the top of the stairs, they could see the people of Skyloft standing there, immobile. They could also see the little shadow that was Groose. Navi led them to the base of the statue, and told Link and Zelda to raise their hands to the part of the statue bearing the same symbol as the one on their hands. Almost immediately, the door flared with a brilliant golden light, and vanished.

They hurried inside. The door immediately resealed itself.

The room they were in was beautifully decorated. There was a strange warm light that filled the room, though it was not clear where it came from. Tall columns surrounded the circular room, and each was detailed with intricate golden patterns. The walls behind the columns were painted with an equally detailed representation of the raising of Skyloft. In the centre of the room was a small raised dais, illustrated with the Triforce on its front. Zelda approached the wall, and as she followed it along, she noticed that it wasn't merely a painting of history, but it also contained the future – one that was not in any way beautiful. Skyloft was destined to fall, and the time for that was rapidly approaching. Skyloft was created to protect the light – if darkness was able to find its way into the city and into the hearts of the Goddess's children, the magic keeping it aloft would die. Link, on the other hand, was getting readily acquainted with the small stool sitting near the entrance of the room.

"Ahem. When you are ready, each of you must step up to the dais, and receive the Goddesses blessing." Navi flew over to the dais, and indicated for Zelda to step up. Zelda approached, and carefully walked up the two small steps, then exhaled heavily. As she drew closer, the symbol on the dais grew brighter. When she was close enough to touch it, Navi told her to place her hands on top. Zelda felt the cool stone beneath her hands, and it surprised her how chilled it was, considering the warmth in the room. Link was watching Zelda, and suddenly, her eyes became filled with a brilliant white light. All the light in the room began to draw towards her hands. When it converged around her, the light immediately flicked back out to fill the room. In Zelda's hands was an exquisitely crafted bow of gold and white. Zelda's eyes returned to her normal shade of blue, and she stepped down, and moved away.

"That is the _Bow of Light._ It does not require any arrows, for the bow can generate them itself. You are the only one able to wield it, Zelda. When you do not require it, do not think of it: it will retreat back into the mark on your hand." Navi was fluttering excitedly now, clearly eager to see what weapon would manifest for the boy. "Step forward, Link."

As Link walked up the stairs, the dais shrunk into a small pedestal, with a slit in the top. At the base of the pedestal was the triforce, and, just like it did for Zelda, it began to glow. The closer he got, the more the light drew into the centre of the room. When all of it was mostly in front of Link, it flew down into the slit on the pedestal. Link reached out his hand to touch the light, and as soon as his fingers made contact, the light solidified, and became the hilt of a mighty sword. It was a deep purple in colour, and the lacing around the handle was a similar shade of green. The guard of the blade appeared next, close in appearance to a set of wings. In the middle of the guard was a golden crystal, shining brightly. Soon after, the blade began to form… And what a blade it was. Zelda and Navi looked on in awe as the blade became whole, its lustre reflecting all around the room. Where the white steel protruded from the guard was a small etching of the Triforce. Link's hand closed around the sword, and he pulled up with all his strength. The sword came free, and Link held the blade in his hands, admiring its beauty.

"That… Is the Master Sword… It was forged by the Goddess herself, and strengthened by the original three goddesses that created this land: Din, Nayru and Farore. It is truly a mighty weapon. You can sheath it again by emptying it from your mind, and it will return to your mark." Navi seemed truly awed to be in the presence of the blade.

Link and Zelda both relaxed their minds; their weapons shone brightly, and then vanished. They walked out of the statue, and very briefly, all was still. Then the silence vanished, and the horrifying events resumed playing. Upon sensing the darkness, the Bow of Light and Master Sword appeared in Zelda and Link's hands; ready to obliterate the evil in their presence. Zelda drew back on the string of her bow, and a beam of light formed, with the head looking wickedly sharp. She took a deep breath, and aimed at the heartless. She released her hold on the string, and the arrow pierced the heartless, sending its twitching body hurtling along the ground. Zelda relaxed thinking all was safe. She whirled around, and saw Mallara, the mother of one of her friends from the Knight's Academy, clutching at her leg, where there was a claw shaped scratch. Her blood began to darken rapidly, until it turned black. She screeched, and lunged at Link. Her body burst into darkness, and became another shadow. The Master Sword shone brightly before Link plunged it into the horrible creature. Zelda and Link looked around for any more shadows, but did not see one sneak past them. It ran towards the statue of the Goddess, and melted into it. There was a brief shudder, before the whole statue exploded, leaving behind a giant, hulking beast, the likes of which had never been seen before. It was tall and black, and humanoid in shape. In the monsters chest, where a heart should be, was just a hole in the shape of one. Instead of eyes, there were glowing yellow orbs that seemed to watch everywhere. Framing its head were twisted, tentacle-like snakes. Before Link and Zelda could spring into action, the beast slammed its fist into the ground, sending out a shockwave of darkness, consuming all the people of Skyloft and turning them into Shadows. The Triforce marks shone brightly on the backs of Link and Zelda's hands, which repelled the creeping darkness that was trying to take over them. Zelda readied another arrow, and let it loose directly at the monsters eye. It pierced the yellow bubble, which sprayed filth everywhere. The monster roared, and swung a fist at Zelda. Link readied his sword, and before the creature made contact, the blade sliced cleanly through the monsters hand. It howled in pain, as a black liquid spurted from the stump where the hand used to be. Zelda launched another arrow at the head of the beast, as Link ran up to hack at the feet. It stumbled around, and then finally fell to the ground. There was a heavy crash, and parts of Skyloft began to crumble and break away, falling to the land below. Link ran to the head, and Zelda readied another arrow. Link rammed the blade into the forehead of the beast, twisting and shoving as the blade pushed further into the monster. He removed his sword, and Zelda fired her light arrow directly into the hole Link left behind. There was a final groan from the creature, and then it exploded, leaving black goo everywhere. Link and Zelda shared a brief look of relief, before they realised that Skyloft was falling.


	4. Chapter IV: The Surface

**CHAPTER IV: THE SURFACE**

Link woke up in a lot of pain. His body felt as though a giant fist had pressed his body into the ground, causing him to bruise all over. He opened his eyes, and when he looked around, he wasn't anywhere familiar… Maybe a new island joined Skyloft? He stood up, and went to find the edge, so he could call his Loftwing and fly back to the Academy. Then he remembered what had happened. A surge of panic coursed through Link as he realised Zelda was not with him, though it was quickly replaced by calm. He had to find her. Link walked through the trees calling out her name, but there was no response, just the sounds of the place he was in. He listened intently for anything that might alert him to Zelda's location, but all he heard was the trickling of a stream, and the wind blowing through the trees. He continued on, stopping occasionally to call out for his companion. The thick shrubs and trees were difficult to navigate, and when they finally cleared a bit and revealed a stream of water, Link let out a sigh of relief. He stooped down, and tasted the water to see if it was safe to drink. When the cool crisp liquid touched his lips, he instantly felt refreshed. This was the most pure and delicious water he'd ever tasted, remembering that the only water on Skyloft always came from the same source. He wished he'd had an empty bottle to carry some water with him. Link was drinking heavily from the stream, and heard a cry of pain from something out in the trees near him. He'd never heard a sound like that, but whatever made it, seemed like it needed help. The Triforce and Link's hand flared briefly as he jumped up and ran towards whatever was making the noise. On the ground in between some trees was an animal lying on its side, clearly injured and in a fair amount of pain. It was a horse, of a red brown colour with a beautiful white mane. Link only knew it was a horse because of a book he had been forced to read up in the Academy that detailed creatures on the surface. The horse whinnied again, looking alarmed. Link pivoted on his feet to see three heartless dashing toward him. There were two of the twitching shadows, and one larger, slightly lanky shadow. The Master Sword quickly appeared in his hand, and he made short work of the creatures of darkness.

"Are you ok?" Link asked the horse, although he was mainly thinking out loud to himself. He patted the injured animal, and tried to think of anything he could to help the horse. It seemed to calm down quite a bit, and it eventually stood up. Link helped the horse walk toward the stream, and when he touched the horse with his marked hand, a soothing aura floated around the horse, curing it of injuries. The horse looked at Link, and eventually it lowered itself to the ground, and indicated for Link to get on.

"Hey!" A familiar voice called out to Link. He shuddered as he was reminded of the Silent Realm. Navi was flying towards Link, and stopped inches from his face. "I'm so glad I found you! Where's Zelda?"

"I'm still looking for her. I haven't had any luck though." Link replied.

"I think I know where we are, but it is just a guess. This might be Faron Woods."

"Great! So, what does that mean?"

"Wait here." Navi shot up into the sky and returned a short while later. "Follow me this way; there may be someone who can help us."

The horse followed Navi instantly, without Link having to say or do anything. This certainly was a special horse.

The trees began to clear again, and Link saw what appeared to be an old temple, long reclaimed by nature. Navi flew over to the door, and bounced around impatiently while waiting for Link to catch up and open the door.

"Shall we go inside?" Link said, as he pushed hard on the great stone doors.

Inside the place was a long room, with even bigger doors at the back. To the left was a small room that had a beautiful, ancient tree that had many big fruits growing off of it. Link made a mental note to try one later. On the opposite side of the room was another door that was inoperable, part of the wall finally giving way to nature and sealing it shut. Link approached the giant doors, and peeked through. Zelda was on the other side, sitting next to another, much older woman with an extremely long braid hanging to the side of her head. It was swinging like a pendulum. Link heaved on the door, and pushed it open just enough for him to get inside. Zelda looked up instantly.

"Link!" Zelda ran over and pulled Link into a tight hug. "I was so worried!"

"It certainly doesn't look that way." Navi quipped. Before anyone could say anything further, the old woman spoke up.

"Hello, child of fate. I understand that your name is Link?" The old woman's voice was cracked with age, and yet exuded wisdom.

"Yes. May I ask yours?" The presence of the woman made Link very mindful of his words, in an attempt to stay respectful of her.

"I am Impa. Welcome to Faron Woods, though I am truly sorry of the circumstances you have arrived in. I see you have met Epona." The old woman looked towards the horse. "She is a very rare steed, and it appears she has bonded with you. You wouldn't be able to get rid of her even if you tried, though I cannot see why you would want to." Impa stood up, and walked to the horse, and scratched her nose. Epona made a small grunt of appreciation. "I will miss you, Epona. You have served me well." Impa turned to Link. "Epona is fully yours now. You only need think of her, and she will come to you, ready to take you to where you want to go. Keep the place in your thoughts, and she will find it for you."

"Impa, we need your help. The bearer of the Triforce of Power was not in Skyloft, with these two. Do you know where we may find it?"

"The Shifting Sands, to the west of this place, has been attracting abnormal amounts of the heartless. I cannot be certain that the person you seek is the cause of the convergence, but it is our only lead. Are you familiar with the story of the people who fell from Skyloft many ages ago?"

There was silence as the two thought on what they knew. Zelda was the first to reply.

"There is one thing I've heard. My father used to tell me stories of the Demon King, and how his plans were thwarted by some people of Skyloft. There is statues carved in their honour throughout the city, and a tower in the Thunderhead is said to have been visited often by the young Knight who fought to slay the Demon King. After they were done with their battles, they remained on the surface to keep the peace, and watch over all the people they had fought for. Eventually, the place around them grew into a bustling city, full of life."

"That is correct. They would have been here, in this very place, but it was flooded by the spirit of the forest in order to purge the monsters that had begun to take over. They were forced to flee." A pained expression crossed Impa's face, and Link realised that this must have been more than a bed-time story for her. "They crossed the forest border, and made their way to the great desert, where a golden city laid vacant. They hoped to begin anew there. I believe that the person you seek is there, because they are the direct descendants of the Goddesses Chosen One, and the Goddess herself. If the Triforce of Power is anywhere, my best guess is there."

Link was pacing around the room, listening intently. When it seemed no-one needed to say anything more, he asked his question.

"What do you know of the enemies we will face? The heartless? Or even the nature of the Triforce itself?"

"Nothing you do not already know. They are born of the darkness in people's hearts, and the stronger the heart, the greater the heartless. The Triforce bearers are lucky, because the light within them is so great, that it repels the darkness leaving them almost immune to its corruption. You can still be gravely hurt by it though, so be wary. This light also gives you the power to purge the corruption from others, a power that will become invaluable on your journey. I believe you have already used it on our friend, Link." She motioned towards Epona. "You saved her life, and for that she is grateful. There is no telling what kind of monster would be born from her. In regards to the nature of the three pieces themselves, however, they are all vastly diffrent. The first piece, the Triforce of Power, embodies the essence of the Goddess of Power, Din, the creator of this land. The power is absolute, making the recipient of Din's blessing a god-like entity, vastly more powerful than any mortal, affording its wielder vast strength and an unlimited source of mystical power. The Triforce of Wisdom embodies the essence of the Goddess of Wisdom, Nayru, the author of law. It imparts divine wisdom upon its holder, and grants the holder untold mystical abilities, including the ability to communicate telepathically. The Triforce of Wisdom leads its holder to make the right decisions, making them wiser than any mortal. And finally, the Triforce of Courage embodies the essence of the Goddess of Courage, Farore, the source of all life. It allows the wielder to master any weapon instantly, and allows them to protect their friends from any danger."

Link nodded. "I always did tell Zelda she knew everything."

Zelda blushed slightly, and looked down at her feet.

"Before you go, allow me to give you these." Impa handed Link and Zelda some carrying pouches attached to a belt. "These are enchanted and will allow you to store a great many things with you. I have already put some things you will find useful in there."

"Thank you, Impa." Zelda had begun to weep gently. Zelda did not know why, but she felt as though she was leaving an old friend. One she would never see again.

Link put his arm around Zelda, and said his goodbye. "C'mon. Let's go, we got ourselves a city to find."


	5. Chapter V: Oasis

**CHAPTER V: OASIS**

Link and Zelda had been walking for what felt like ages, though Link was the only one on foot. Having left Impa at the temple, with Epona all saddled and packed, there was little room for two people to sit on her back. Link had chivalrously offered that she ride instead of him, much to Epona's displeasure. The horse soon settled down, and they were on their way.

"It's getting dark… Should we rest for tonight? We've been following the stream all day, and my legs hurt from riding Epona." Zelda sighed.

"Let's keep walking until we find a little bit more room, I'm not sure of the size of this tent Impa gave us."

Link grabbed Epona's reigns, and pulled her along. It seemed that the thought controlled travel only worked for him, when he was riding her. Zelda's ears were unaccustomed to all the strange sounds she kept hearing, and she found herself constantly on edge. She looked at Link, who was leading silently. She smiled briefly, thinking about how happy she was to be with Link. She knew she could not do this without him. Zelda hadn't noticed how dark it had become, as she was to busy in her own thoughts. Link cleared his throat quietly to get her attention.

"We'll stop here. This spot looks really good, and there's some soft looking grass over there that looks so comfortable. Would you mind gathering firewood while I set up the tent?"

Zelda looked visibly discomforted, but nodded anyway.

"Navi will go with you, but don't go too far anyway. And don't stay away for too long."

Navi floated out from underneath Link's cap, and followed Zelda through the bushes. It wasn't long before the faint glow of Navi disappeared behind the dark shrubbery.

Link gave a faint whistle, and Epona walked over to him. "You're such a good girl…" He scratched Epona, and she put her head up to his to show her affection. He chuckled to himself. Link opened up one of the leather packs on Epona's side, and pulled out the tent. He quickly set up the cloth and poles, and tightened the drawstrings. It wasn't anything magnificent, but it provided enough cover for the two of them. Link got to work preparing some food, when Zelda came running back through the bushes, crying heavily.

"What's wrong?" Link asked. Zelda was crying too much to respond, so Link pulled her into his arms.

"It… It was your Loftwings, Link." Navi said, a faint waver of emotion evident in her voice.

Navi led Link through the trees to where they found the birds. Lying in the middle of the field were Link and Zelda's Loftwings. Link shed a single tear as he knelt down beside the majestic creatures. The bluish-purple Loftwing that belonged to Zelda was nestled in the wings of Link's crimson one. Link choked back tears as he realised his was trying to protect Zelda's. Link gently placed his hand on the beak of his bird, and he couldn't stop the tears. Once he had calmed down, he gently plucked a feather from each bird, and placed them in his pouch. He gathered up some branches and twigs for the fire, and silently made his way back to camp. His mood lightened a little when he saw a tiny tent next to his, obviously meant for Navi to stay in. Zelda had finished preparing the ingredients for their meal, and Link set to work building the fire. Navi climbed into her little tent, and went to sleep after eating a berry. Link and Zelda sat silently by the fire together while they ate their dinner. Zelda had fallen asleep against Link's shoulder, so he carried her to the tent, and placed her on her bedroll. Link set up his, and laid down. He closed his eyes, and within seconds, he was asleep.

Zelda woke up in the middle of the night, and found Link's arm wrapped around her. She smiled as she thought of all the times that she camped out on some islands with Link, Pipit and Karane, sharing stories and gossip about the people of Skyloft. It pained Zelda think of what had become of them, when the heartless had attacked. She pulled herself in closer to Link, and resumed sleeping.

The sun broke rather early that morning, and there were still drops of dew covering all the plants. Zelda sat up in the tent, and noticed Link wasn't next to her. She yawned, and stretched her arms before she stepped out of the tent. Link was sitting on a log, playing with something in his hand and when he sensed Zelda approaching, he quickly put it away. There was an awkward silence before Link said something.

"So… Hahaha… How did you sleep? Were you comfortable?" Link put his hand behind his head and smiled, trying to get past the brief awkwardness of before.

"Yeah. It was pretty cold though. Is Navi awake?" Zelda looked over to the tiny tent that housed the fairy.

"Nope. Still asleep. And she thinks I'M lazy." Link rolled his eyes as he said this. "Should we have breakfast, or wait for her?"

"I'm starving, so lets eat." Zelda opened her pack, and removed some of the bread and berries that Impa had given her. There were also two cookies that smelt delicious. The two of them chatted while they shared their breakfast, commenting on how delicious the bread and cookies were. Zelda often wondered what Impa did without anyone else there, which she now realised must be that Impa baked cakes and biscuits. She must have had years of practice, because these cookies were amazing. Zelda noticed that Link had saved a few crumbs for Navi. Zelda felt her skin prickle a tiny bit with jealousy, but quickly shrugged it off when she realised how stupid she was being. Link urged Zelda to drink some of the water from the stream, touting that it was the most amazing thing he'd ever tasted. He filled up two empty bottles, and took a large mouthful from one. His eyes lit up as he drank, and let out a big breath when he stopped. He passed the bottle to Zelda and watched excitedly as she raised the bottle to her lips. She took a large gulp, and closed her eyes.

"Well?" Link edged closer.

"If you ask me, it kinda tastes like something's been swimming around in it."

Link almost fell backwards off the log he was sitting on.

"If you ask me, you have no TASTE!" Link refilled the bottle, and got to work packing up the camp. He feigned anger at Zelda, but secretly found her response amusing. Navi emerged from her tent, and floated over.

"What's with the yelling?" Navi yawned as she spoke.

"Finally, you're awake. Pack up your tent, and let's go," Link snapped. Navi quickly dismantled the tiny poles and cloth, and put them away in an equally tiny bag.

Once they were all packed and ready to go, Link plucked a few berries off the bushes, and put them in his pack, and then they set off. They had rearranged the bags so that they could both sit on the horse together comfortably. While neither of them said anything, it was clear that Link made an effort to avoid walking out into the bush where their Loftwings lay.

They stopped for breaks regularly, allowing Epona to rest and have a drink. The stream eventually filled out into a lake, at which point they had to rely solely on Epona's abilities to take them to their destination. Many hours had passed, mostly in silence as they come to the realisation of everything they had lost. It must have been at least midday when the soft grassy ground beneath slowly became sandier. The trees thinned out rapidly as they walked on, and soon enough, they made it out of the thickest parts of the forest. When Link looked ahead, he was glad that he had saved the bottles of water. It was a vast, sandy desert, with massive dunes as far as the eye could see. Looking on, heat waves could be seen radiating from the sand. Link fastened a guard over Epona's eyes, and they continued walking.

After walking for the remainder of the day, which could only have been an hour or two, it finally started to become dark. They pitched their tents, chatted briefly, ate the cold remains of their dinner from the night before and went to sleep. There was no relaxing fire tonight, so the sleep that they had was disturbed.

Zelda was twisting and turning in her sleep, unable to find peace and relax. Horrible nightmares were plaguing her, only made worse by the arid heat of the desert. She watched in horror as all of the people she loved in Skyloft were turned into monsters. Before she could save her father, she was falling, with no light around her to see where she was going. She stopped abruptly, and was in a shallow pool of water. Emerging from the centre was a bright light, which grew larger and larger until it illuminated everything. Zelda relaxed, and soon enough, the nightmare was dispelled.

Before long, the sun rose, and they packed and left.

"Link… I… How much farther..?" Zelda rasped, her throat dry.

"I don't know… Here." Link got out the last of the water and handed it to Zelda.

"Are you sure? This last bit is supposed to be yours."

"Go ahead, I'm fine."

Zelda gulped down the last few drops of water, and they continued on. The further they got, the hotter it seemed to get, until Link had to stop. He tried to say something but only a croaky sound came out.

"Link! Are you ok?" As she said this, Link coughed, and then he fell from Epona's back. "Link!" Zelda slid down, and tried to stir him awake. She rolled him over, and tried to brush off the sand that had caked into his eyes and hair. "Oh, Link, c'mon! You've gotta get up!" Zelda heaved Link back onto Epona, so that he was slung over the horses back. Zelda climbed back up too, and urged Epona onwards. She seemed to sense that Link needed help, so she changed her direction slightly, and headed off in that direction. Zelda prayed silently for Link.

The hours wore on, and Zelda too could feel her grip on reality slipping. She soon started to see strange visions of people dancing across the dunes, ushering her along. Yet every time she tried to focus on one, they would soon disappear. Zelda's eyes began to shut, and she fought herself to keep them open. Just as she was ready to give up, a strange shimmer caught her eye. In the distance, Zelda saw what looked to be a pool of water, surrounded by a few trees. She willed Epona to move faster, but the horse was too weak from the long walk through the heat. Zelda saw more of the dancing figures running to the water, and splashing about. Zelda got off Epona, and shuffled herself the last few meters to the water. She got down to her knees and drank. As soon as her thirst was sated, she got Link off of Epona, and carried him to the water. She waded in deeper and held Link so that she could pour water into his mouth.

"Link, drink. Please." Zelda said, as she found that the water would not go down. "Link! Link! Please…" She tried to give him more water, but it wasn't working. Zelda's eyes filled with tears as she lost hope. She held his head in both her hands. "Link, I can't do this alone…" Zelda kissed Link on his forehead, and as she did so, the mark on her hand begun to flash. A strange aura surrounded Link, and soon enough, his eyes fluttered open.

"Wha… Where am I?" Link spoke as if he had just woken up from one of his usual naps.

"Here, drink some water! Oh I'm so happy you're ok!" Zelda cried more furiously now, overjoyed that her friend was alive.

"What happened?"

"We were riding Epona, and you just, sort of, fell off. I couldn't get you to wake up so I had to put you back on to Epona and carry you back here. I thought I'd lost you Link, you wouldn't wake up and I… but you're ok now. That's all that matters. My Triforce mark helped you, Link."

"That's all well and good, but – where's Navi?" Link panicked as he could not find the tiny companion anywhere. He checked under his cap several times, but she wasn't there.

Zelda rushed over to Epona who was now drinking from the oasis. She went through every pack, but Navi was nowhere to be found. As Zelda was rummaging through their things, she noticed that Navi's tent wasn't in their stuff either.

"We've forgotten Navi at the last camp." Zelda muttered, barely realising it as the words escaped her lips.

"We – WHAT?"

"Navi! Her tent isn't here either!" Zelda's hand was still inside Navi's usual packing space.

"What do we do?"

"Fill these" Zelda threw the empty bottles at Link "and I'll repack Epona. Then we have to find her."

Link waded into the water deeper, so that he would not draw any sand into the bottle. The mark on his hand began to flare, until it had shone the brightest he'd ever seen it.

"Zelda! Something's in the water!" Link grabbed the filled bottles and dashed out of the water.

There was a strange hissing noise as the water began to sizzle, and in the middle, something was rising. The water was too turbulent to see what was coming out, but whatever it was, it was big. The water swirled and sucked inwards to the centre, and a giant orb rose out of the water. Inside was a human figure. Who it was, they could not say. But it was soon clear that they had found the Triforce of Power. Both of the marks on Link and Zelda's hands were glaring. They could see the same light inside the orb.


	6. Chapter VI: Power

**A/N: Sorry for the mega-delay, I ran into a little bit of indecision followed by family trouble followed by internet trouble, but now I have finally got this posted. Please, read and review :) I need to improve, yo.  
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**CHAPTER VI: POWER**

The orb exploded, spraying water in every direction. A beautiful woman, dressed in a strange blue and black garb floated down, and walked along the surface of the water. She came to the edge where Link was standing, looked at him, and dropped to the ground. Link and Zelda were both soaked, and so were their packs. Zelda rushed over to Link and the woman, to investigate this mysterious new person. Link picked her up, and she stirred. When her eyes opened, Link saw that they were a watery blue, unlike anything else he had ever seen. They matched the colour of her hair.

"Who… are you?" the woman asked.

"I am Link, and this is Zelda. And you are?"

"My name… is Aqua."

After making sure Aqua was okay, Link asked her how she came to be inside the oasis.

"It's a long story. It started out like any other day. I was walking to the market to get some things, and at the time… I hadn't noticed how quite it was. There just wasn't anyone around. When I got there, I heard a strange shuffling noise coming from some of the boxes next to a stall. I went to see what it was, and a black rat thing came at me. Before it got close, it froze, and the next thing I know I'm running from some other strange monsters with no eyes! Then I met a fairy named Tatl, who took me to the temple at the centre of the city. That's where I got this…" Aqua waved her hand, and an odd weapon shaped like a giant key appeared in her hand.

"Link, we still need to find Navi!"

"Right. Sorry to cut this short, Aqua, but we've lost a friend in the desert, and we have to find her." Link said, as he walked towards Epona. He hoisted Zelda up to the horse's back. He looked towards Aqua. "I don't think there is enough room…"

She smiled slightly. "It's okay. I've got this." Aqua brought her hand that had her mark up to her shoulder. The light surrounded her entire body, and soon she was covered in armour. Her 'key' changed shape beneath her feet, and hovered above the sand. "Let's go!"

Without another word, Link pictured Navi, and Epona sped off. Aqua was following closely behind, her strange glider leaving a massive trail of sand in her wake.

Epona began to slow, and soon enough, she stopped altogether.

"Where is she?" Zelda asked.

Link began to look around, but had no luck. Everything was covered in sand.

"Maybe I can help?" Aqua asked. "Watch this."

Aqua closed her eyes, and was still. Link felt a faint rumbling in the sand beneath him, as if it was trying to get away. The sand at Aqua's feet began to move rapidly away from her, and soon enough, the tips of Navi's little tent began to reveal. As more became visible, there was a faint glow emanating from the tent. Link rushed down, and picked up Navi. He used the power of his Triforce to heal her, and soon enough, she was back to full health.

"I cannot believe YOU LEFT ME BEHIND!" Navi's voice had reached a shrill pitch, so much so that Epona began to stamp her feet in annoyance.

"We're sorry! We didn't mean to leave you behind!" Link and Zelda spoke in perfect unison.

"We found who we were looking for though! The one with Power."

"I don't CARE! You still le- wait, what?"

"I am Aqua. Pleased to meet you!"

Link sensed the chance to change the topic, and dived in, eager to make Navi forget about being forgotten. He told Navi every single detail, leaving out nothing. After hearing about their entire ordeal, Navi had to sit down while she thought things over.

"So, what you're saying is, all the Heartless in your city came from somewhere below it, right?"

"Yes. Some of the city guards were changed… corrupted. After this-" Aqua summoned her weapon, which she called the Keyblade "-was given to me, I searched for anyone I knew, but there was not a single person in sight. Our city guards, which we call the Keepers, have been around since my people first came to the city. We do not know what they are, or where they came from, only that they serve to protect the city. None of us had ever been hurt by them, only physically restrained if there was a theft or something like that. I went to one, to see if it could show me anything, but it went violent straight away. I ran, but more Keepers came, and eventually, I was chased out of the city. Tatl was waiting for me again, and we ran out into the sands. She showed me how to summon my glider, which I quickly sped away on. We travelled for a few days, and finally got to the oasis where you found me. I stopped to drink some water, but we were attacked by more Heartless - there were too many to fight, and I was weak from dehydration, so Tatl used the last of her power to shield me, and keep me safe." Aqua's story caused Link and Zelda to shiver as they remembered their own horrifying introduction to the Heartless.

"We need to go back to your city. I believe that one of the openings to the darkness may rest there. It will be dangerous, but we have no choice." said Navi, thoughtfully.

Link packed up Navi's tent, and got up onto Epona's back. "We should get going then." He raised his cap to let Navi in. She flew over, and took her usual place atop Link's head.

"Thanks. And don't think for a second that I've forgotten you left me behind!" said Navi, as she pulled Link's cap down over her.

Link held his hand out for Zelda, and helped her on to Epona's back. He looked to Aqua. "You just going to fly that… thingy?" asked Link, slightly jealous of her glider. He wondered if he could ever have a turn at riding it.

Aqua jumped on her glider. "Yeah, do you know the way?"

"Don't need to. Epona here can take me anywhere. Can't you girl?" Link said, as he patted his horse on the top of her head.

The group set off, this time with all of them, and made their way across the billowing sands towards the Golden City. When it became dark, the group set up camp and Aqua cooked what little food she was able to take with her from the city. With their hunger sufficiently sated, each of them fell asleep very quickly. As soon as the sun rose again the next day, the group packed up and left. The day passed without any trouble, and they found themselves setting up camp again for the night. They ate and drank what little they had left, saving only just enough water for a few mouthfuls each. During the early hours of the morning, it began to rain. They awoke the next day to find everything slightly damp, though the scorching heat of the sun quickly dealt with that issue. The heat seemed to get worse and worse every day, and with little scenery to entertain them, the day seemed to drag on. Chatter between the group was reduced to asking for water, and when they ran out, they travelled on in silence. Link pulled up on Epona's reigns, and jumped off. He walked over to a big green cactus plant, and cut off the top.

"What are you doing?" Zelda asked.

Aqua jumped off her glider and questioned Link's actions also.

"There's water trapped inside!" Exclaimed Link, has he chopped up the plant and drank the juices.

"Link, wait! You shouldn't be eating strange plants!"

"Suit yourself! It's very thirst quenching though." Link said, before chugging some more cactus juice.

Zelda was watching Link with apprehension, when his eyes suddenly became unfocussed.

"Are you okay?"

"Drink cactus juice. It'll quench ya. Nothiiiiiin's quenchier. It's the quenchiest!" Link was waving his arms around as he spoke. He began to laugh maniacally.

Zelda grabbed Link by the ear, and pulled him to Epona.

"Get on the horse."

They continued walking, largely uninterrupted save for the occasional crazed outburst from Link. They travelled onwards for several hours, until Zelda was almost ready to give up.

"Aqua, any idea how much farther?"

"I… have no idea."

"We are going to end up wandering this wasteland until we waste away!" Zelda began to cry, as her hopelessness settled down upon her.

"Take it easy pretty lady, you worry too much." Said Link, finally able to produce clear sentences again.

"Take it EASY? We have been walking around in sand for days, and we have no food, no water. We're doomed!"

Link raised a finger to silence Zelda. "Shhh. Look."

Zelda turned to where Link was pointing, and she saw the outline of some buildings surrounded by a golden glow.

"My city!" shouted Aqua, as she sped off in that direction.

Epona raced off after Aqua, and they finally arrived at the city gates. A huge stone wall rose from the sand, and it went on as far as the eye could see. On the top of the wall were golden bricks, reflecting the light of the setting sun. The door to the city was intricately detailed, with flowing lines and pictures made of gold set into the dark wood. The patterns covered every inch of the door, and it looked like it would not be able to open. Aqua raised her hand to the door, and the gold on it seemed to liquefy. It flowed away from the centre of the door, and there was a heaving and scratching sound as the door opened itself. Straight ahead was a beautiful pool of clean water, with a great fountain of solid gold in the middle. Zelda ran towards the water and plunged her hands in, taking a few moments to let the coolness of it sink in. She cupped some in her hands and brought it to her lips. Aqua nodded, and confirmed that it was safe to drink. Zelda drank all that she could, and sighed with relief.

Aqua was about to step into the city, when she noticed Link was still staring at the door. She grabbed his sleeve, and yanked him in. The giant doors closed, and the gold inlay flowed back over and sealed them shut.

Zelda was stripped down to her undergarments and was splashing around in the water, laughing with great joy. Link ran over, took off his clothes and climbed the fountain. He jumped off the top, and caused a huge splash that hit Aqua. She shrieked when the water hit her skin, and stood there for a few moments as her body adjusted to the cold water. Zelda laughed, and called for Aqua to come in too. She jumped in, and the three of them frolicked in the water, until well after dark. Navi eventually joined them in the pool, and Epona watched from the edge. Link got out, and poured some water on Epona, helping the horse to cool down too. She closed her eyes, and enjoyed the water running over her. As Link was pouring water on her head, she bumped Link, and sent him toppling over the edge and back into the water. They all laughed, and for a short while, forgot about the difficulties that they would have to face.


	7. Chapter VII: The Golden City

**A/N: Thanks to anyone who has read this far! I hope you're enjoying my story :)  
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**CHAPTER VII: THE GOLDEN CITY**

Aqua had found them a small house to stay in for the night. It was located in the lower district of the Golden City, which was named Haurum. It meant golden sands – Link loudly complained about how unoriginal the name was. It was divided into three sections, each with their own purpose. In the centre of the city was the temple where everyone went to pay their respects to the Goddess Hylia. The district located below the temple was responsible for creating goods required for living, such as food and furniture. The one located to the left was responsible for the creative aspects of life in the city – music, sculptures and paintings. The district to the right was responsible for the wellbeing of the city. Located in it were the healers, as well as the homes of the Auris, the people who were in charge of keeping the peace, and writing laws. Scattered throughout the whole city were the Keepers, empty suits of golden armour that served the citizens, always keeping them safe. Gold topped every building, and there were many tall archways that led to other parts of the city that went on as far as the eye could see. When the sun began to rise, and the city began glow in the light, Zelda stirred in her bed.

She walked over to the window to look outside at the fountain. She suppressed a giggle as she remembered Epona pushing Link into the water. She was about to start preparing breakfast, when Aqua woke up too.

"Hungry?" asked Zelda, indicating towards the food she was preparing.

Aqua realised she hadn't eaten for a long time, and her stomach grumbled at the thought of breakfast. "Very."

They had found some sausages, eggs and bread to eat, and a large pitcher of a pinkish-red liquid.

"That's Goji juice. It's delicious."

By the time Link had woken up, the girls had already eaten and cleaned up after themselves.

"Did you sleep well?" asked Zelda, as she was already packing up Link's sleeping gear.

"Dunno. I was asleep."

Zelda sneered at Link, before resuming what she was doing. Link could hear Aqua laughing from outside the house. Link quickly ate the breakfast that girls had left him, and thanked them for the meal. It wasn't much, but given that he hadn't eaten a proper meal since leaving Impa in the forest, it was the best thing he'd ever tasted in his life. He poured the rest of the Goji juice into an empty bottle, and put it into his pack.

"Where to now, Aqua?" said Link, after taking one more look into the house for anything that may be of use. Once he was satisfied there was nothing, he closed the door.

"Well… I wanted to take a look around the other districts; there may be something we could use."

Zelda sensed there was another reason for looking around in Aqua's voice, but did not press the issue. "You're the expert on this city. Why don't you lead, and we'll follow."

"Is there any chance we could stop at a bath-house? I stink. Bad." Link's nose was creased as he spoke, showing his disgust.

"I think that will be possible. Let's go."

The group walked down the twisting streets of the city, and passed many different places. Link wanted to stop at every food shop he passed, but found that most of the goods had become spoiled, because there was nobody around to keep them fresh. That didn't stop him from going into every shop he saw, until at last he found a sandwich shop that had goods kept in a frozen lockbox. It was around lunchtime, so the group agreed to sit down to eat.

"This shop belonged to one of my friends…" said Aqua, her voice full of emotion. "Alnar's Sandwich Bar… We used to hang out here all the time. Alnar kept us entertained by playing the harp, which she was very good at. We'd sing and dance and…" Aqua's voice trailed off, and she took a deep breath as a single tear ran down her cheek. "I'm sorry."

Link thought that Aqua was apologising to her friend for not being able to help her. "C'mon, we should go."

Zelda took Aqua outside, while Link cleaned up. Once he'd finished, they left and walked on in silence for a short while. Link could see the buildings beginning to part up ahead, and saw several large bridges leading across a stream.

Aqua stopped them at the start of the bridge.

"These bridges lead into the second district, where all our creative works were done. There is a huge library at the centre of it, and besides books, it hold many of the best pieces of art created by anyone in the city."

Aqua led them onwards, but Epona refused to step onto the bridge. She stamped her feet angrily.

"What's wrong, girl?" said Link, as he held Epona's head and looked into her eyes. Epona looked afraid, but Link couldn't see why. "There's nothing here, its okay."

Epona relaxed, and allowed Link to take her across the bridge. About halfway across the bridge, the horse suddenly reared up on her hind legs, and charged across to the other side. Before the group could react, a giant tentacle of water burst out from beneath the bridge, and smashed down onto it, forcing the group to jump out of the way. The tentacle sunk back into the water, and began to reform again.

"What is that?" shouted Link.

The tentacle slammed down again, this time hitting Zelda and sending her flying. The tentacle smashed through the bridge, separating Link from Aqua and Zelda.

"Link! I can see its weak point, you have to attack its nucleus, it's the only way you can hurt it!"

Link tried slashing at the tentacle, but he couldn't reach it.

Aqua summoned the Keyblade, and threw it at the nucleus of the tentacle. It hit home, and it knocked the nucleus out of the water, and it landed at Link's feet. He swung at it, and hit it a few times before it managed to skitter along the ground and back into the water. The creature shrieked in anger, and this time its attacks were more frenzied. Zelda charged up a light arrow, and let it loose. It stuck into the nucleus, and she hit it again with another arrow. It was sent flying straight at Link again, and he readied his sword for a big swing. He struck the creature with all his might, and the sword split the nucleus in two. The halves dissolved into purple-black globs, which carried a foul stench.

"Is everyone okay?" shouted Link.

"We're fine!"

"Aqua! Look out!" Link screamed, pointing behind her.

A group of heartless were running at them, several shadows accompanied by some Link had not yet seen. They were large, demonic looking creatures carrying large swords with ridges down the blade. They hovered just above the ground, with small black wings keeping them in the air. Attached to the tails of the creatures were wickedly sharp looking curved blades that scraped along the ground creating a shower of sparks.

Zelda quickly attacked with her arrows, taking out some of the shadows. Her arrows were easily dodged by the larger ones, which were lighting fast. The heartless made a sound that was like someone grinding shattered glass together, causing Zelda and Aqua, who were closest, to fall to their knees clutching their hands to their ears. Link raised his sword to the sky, and filled it with his energy. He swung at the heartless, and a beam of pure white light sliced through two of them, sending a shower of black goo everywhere. They were silenced for long enough to allow Zelda to take out another with her a couple of quick arrows, and for Aqua to deal with the remaining two. The area seemed clear, but the group still remained cautious.

Link whistled for Epona, and the horse ran to him. He mounted her, and together they jumped the gap in the bridge. They continued onwards, wary of any sound or movement they saw, for fear of being attacked again. This time, if Epona stopped, they would heed her warning.

Aqua took them to the bath-house, but they found it to be empty of water. Aqua guessed that no-one was around to tend to it, and re-fill the water. Link expressed his disappointment, which was met with a sharp remark from Navi, who told him to stop complaining. He reluctantly agreed, and they left.

On their way through the second district, Link and Zelda were constantly bewildered by the sheer volume and beauty of the many different artworks they saw. Link's personal favourite was a carving of the Goddess, intricately detailed and looking eerily reminiscent of Zelda. A while after Link found the carving, and just before they reached the third district, Zelda spotted a tiny music shop. Inside were little metal devices, that, when turned, played music. Zelda played many of them, and found one that had a melody that was beautiful and haunting at the same time. She fell in love with it instantly, and put it inside her pack.

"Aqua… This city is beautiful! There is so much to see and experience, it's nothing like Skyloft. Sure, we had music and dance, but none of it was nearly as beautiful as what I've seen here. I am truly sorry to see it like this…" said Zelda, her voice full of sorrow. "I just wish… I could have done something sooner."

"If only you could have seen the bustling streets, packed with people laughing and spreading joy around. This city may be beautiful, but it is the people who make it so. Now it is nothing but a shadow of what it used to be… The sooner we can be done here, the better. I want to stop the heartless, whatever it takes. I cannot let anything like this happen ever again." Aqua's voice was fierce with determination.

Zelda nodded. "Right."

Link stood up, and cleared his throat. "We will be with you, every step of the way. Our home was taken too, and now there is nothing left of it. I promise that I will stand by you."

"We must stick together. We cannot fail." Zelda added.

Aqua began to cry, and she pulled Link and Zelda into a tight hug. "Thank you."

Link broke away from the hug. "Let's get going. I wanna kick some heartless butt!"

The group entered the third district, and found themselves surrounded by buildings that had to have been the handiwork of master craftsmen. There were towers that met the sun, each topped with a golden pointed roof that spiralled downwards, giving the effect that the roof and buildings were cut from one piece of stone. Following the paths were small bushes with delicate flowers, each in varying colours. Link stooped down next to a bush with violet coloured flowers. Each petal looked as soft as a cloud, and on the inside, had a golden yellow pattern that reached out to the tip. He gently plucked one, and studied the flower. It reminded him of Zelda.

"Zelda, come here."

"What is it, Link?"

He reached up, and brushed her hair behind her ear. "This is for you." He tucked the flower into the spot he had just created, and stepped back to admire Zelda. She blushed heavily, and broke out into a fit of giggles.

Aqua was marching on ahead, when she stopped to tell them that they would be arriving at her home soon, and that they should stop for the night. Her words fell on deaf ears, however, as Link and Zelda were too busy staring into each other's eyes.

Aqua cleared her throat, causing the pair to snap out of their trance. They both blushed heavily and laughed awkwardly. She repeated her thoughts on stopping for the night, and they both agreed. The sky had just begun to darken when they were on the steps of Aqua's home.

"Here we are," she said, as she pushed the door open. It was very dark inside, so Aqua lit several lamps in the room by tapping them with her Keyblade.

"Your home is amazing!" shouted Link, as he ran to one of the soft and comfy looking couches. "May I?" he asked, before diving onto the biggest one. "Wow."

"Well, Link, since Zelda and I prepared breakfast this morning, I think it only fair that you make dinner."

Link frowned. "But it's hard…"

Zelda snuck up behind Link, and summoned a light arrow. She poked him in the thigh, and he jumped up off the couch.

"Okay, okay! I'll cook! Navi, you're with me."

"The kitchen is this way." Aqua led Link and Navi from the room, through a door in the back.

Zelda properly took in the details of the room, which was rectangular in shape. The walls were a deep red, and on them were many paintings of Aqua and her family. The furniture was all made of a dark wood, and the material on them was of the same colour as the walls. Zelda walked over to a bookcase, and flipped through a black notebook that was filled with sketches. Most of the drawings were of flowers, but occasionally she saw pictures of the city streets, or even just some of the smiling faces of the people that inhabited them. On one of the last pages was a picture of Aqua with two boys. One of them was tall, with broad shoulders and long dark hair. The other was roughly the same height as Aqua, but with short, spiky blond hair and a lean physique. They were drawn standing around a tree that had star shaped fruit. Beneath it was written 'Together, always.' Zelda quickly replaced the book in its spot as she heard footsteps, and wiped away the tear that had begun to form in her eye.

Aqua re-entered the room carrying a tray of drinks, which she set down on the table.

"I trust you like lemonade?" she said, as she handed Zelda a glass. The two quickly began chatting, sharing memories of their friends and families. Curiously, however, Zelda noticed that Aqua didn't mention anyone matching the description of the two boys she saw in the sketchbook.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Link was struggling with dinner.

"Navi! For the last time, I do not know how to 'al dente' this stuff! I don't even know what it is that we're trying to cook!"

"Spaghetti, Link! SPUH-GEH-TI! Got it memorised? First you've got to boil the water, you can't cook without it."

Link shuffled around in a cupboard for a few minutes before he found a pot that Navi approved of. He filled it with water, and placed it over the fire.

"Now you need to crush the tomatoes for the sauce. They're already pretty soft from being left out, so it might be a little difficult to do them quickly."

Link crushed the first few tomatoes, but grew angry when he found that most of the tomato was splattering everywhere except for where he wanted it to go. He soon hatched a devious plan to make short work of them. Link rummaged around in the cupboards again before he found a large pot with a lid that he could close. He propped it up against the wall, and put all of the tomatoes into it, then sealed the lid.

"Link, what are you doing?" asked Navi, nervously.

"Watch and learn!"

He summoned the master sword and raised it skyward. Link let his energy flow into the blade before he let it loose at the pot. The pot absorbed the strike, and soon the light faded. Link opened the lid, and peered inside. His face lit up with satisfaction as he scooped out the tomatoes, which had been reduced to a fine paste.

Navi found a few herbs for Link to use in the sauce, and told him to cut them finely. Link picked up the knife, and his Triforce mark flashed.

"Heartless?" he asked.

"No… I don't sense any."

Link looked out the door to check on the girls, and they were okay, chatting away. His gaze lingered for a while on Zelda, before Navi called him back.

"We've still got a dinner to cook, lover boy." She quipped.

Link pulled out a chopping board, and lined up the herbs. They were parsley, basil and rosemary, Navi told him. He picked up the knife again, and his Triforce mark flashed once more.

Link's hands moved as if he had had many years of experience in the kitchen. In mere seconds, the herbs were cut up perfectly, much to Navi's surprise.

"Link! Your mark! Remember what Impa said, about it giving you the ability to instantly master any weapon you touch? I guess that knife counts as a weapon."

"Oh… yeah! Wicked!" laughed Link, as he looked for more things to cut up.

"Just… try to use things we can cook, at least."

Link's cutting frenzy was stopped short, as the water had begun to boil. Navi ordered him to add a pinch of salt, and then the spaghetti. Once that was done, Link cut up some onion into a smaller, shallow pan, and let that simmer for a while. Then he added the tomato and herbs, which filled the room with delicious smells. Link found a jar of olives, as well as some long slender beans. He added them to the sauce mixture, for which Navi praised his creativity.

Once the meal was cooked, Link served it up in three exquisitely designed bowls. He placed them on a tray, along with a bottle of lemonade and the bottle of Goji juice he had saved from earlier. Link carried the tray out to the room with the girls, and Aqua led them to the dining room. Link put the tray down and sighed in relief.

"Link, the food looks amazing, but you look like hell!" giggled Zelda.

Link looked down at himself and saw that he was covered in tomato juice and bits of cut up herb. They all laughed, before their hunger took over them.

"This is amazing!" said Zelda.

Aqua giggled. "It is. But… beans? My mother used to sing me a song when I was a child. I think I can still remember it. Let's see… Beans, beans, the magical fruit! The more you eat, the more you toot!  
>The more you toot, the better you feel, so we have beans at every meal!" recited Aqua, with as much bravado as she could muster.<p>

"That is quite possibly the worst thing I have ever heard. I like it!" said Navi, who was eating a single strand of spaghetti for herself.

They ate the rest of the meal happily, laughing while Navi told them how Link destroyed the tomatoes to make the sauce. With their bellies stuffed, they decided that they should wash up and get into bed. Link, being the most unclean, was the first to use the luxury tub. There were many soaps and oils that he could have used to fragrance the bath, and he found one that was scented with jasmine, which reminded him of his favourite tea that he drank in Skyloft.

Outside the bathroom door was Zelda, who was listening intently to Link singing in the tub. He was quite good. She pressed her ear to the door so that she could hear better.

"You really like him, don't you?" Aqua said into Zelda's ear.

Startled, she spun around to face Aqua.

"What! Haha, I uhh…"

"It's okay, you can tell me. It'll be our little secret." Said Aqua, with a sly wink. "So, how long have you two been a thing?"

"Oh! We're not… we aren't, at least not yet."

"Not yet? So you wish to be?"

Zelda sighed. "Very much so. I'm just waiting for him, to make his first move. He seems to get close every time, but then… nothing."

Suddenly, Link opened the door, wrapped in nothing but a towel, his body still covered in a few drops of water that glistened in the lamplight.

"Ah! Zelda, what are you doing… outside the bathroom door..?" said Link, his eyes narrow with suspicion.

Aqua smiled. "I was just showing her to the room you two will be sleeping in."

"Us two will be sleeping in?" Zelda's words were filled with shock.

"Yes. There's my room, where I'll be sleeping, and then there's my parents room, where you two will be."

Link laughed nervously. "What about the couch?"

"Don't be silly. You'll wreck the upholstery! My parent's bed it is. Zelda, you take your bath. Link, give me your clothes, and I will wash them and hang them up so they will be ready for tomorrow. Your room is down the hall, second door on the right!" with those words, Aqua snatched Link's clothes, and dashed around the corner.

Link turned to Zelda, but she had already entered the bathroom and shut the door. He had no choice but to retreat to the room Aqua had given him. Link felt the soft sheets under his hands, which caused him to realise how tired he was. In seconds, Link was between the sheets, his eyes wavering for a few seconds before they shut completely. He didn't notice Zelda slip into the room and into the bed. She curled up against him, and he put his arm around her.

Aqua had hung out all their clothes, and taken her own bath. Once she was done, she checked on Link and Zelda, and found them sleeping peacefully, wrapped in each other's arms. Aqua went into the main room, and picked up her sketch book. She flipped to the last page, and traced her finger over the faces of her old friends. Aqua tore out that page, and folded it neatly into her bag.

"Together… always."

**A/N: The way Navi showed Link how to make spaghetti and the sauce is the same way my Nonna taught me. She is the cutest little old italian lady you ever did see. Love you Nonna!**


	8. Chapter VIII: The Spirit Temple

**A/N: Sorry for the slight delay, I ended up working and hanging out with some friends which took up my writing time. Strangely enough, this story was all I could think about. Please read and review, and enjoy!  
><strong>

**CHAPTER VIII: THE SPIRIT TEMPLE**

Link was the last one to wake, as usual. When he got out of bed, he noticed that all of the sheets were bunched up on the other side of the bed. He shivered as he realised how chilly it was inside Aqua's home.

Aqua poked her head in through the door. "Rise and shine, Link! Today is a big day!"

"Whaaa…?"

"We're going in, to the heart of the darkness in this city. While you were sleeping, Zelda, Navi and I worked out what we have to do." Aqua threw a bundle of clothes at Link. "These are yours. Get ready, we're leaving soon. Breakfast is ready for you out on the table. Eat and clean up while Zelda and I take a look at the temple."

Link yawned as he stretched his body. "Sure thing, Aqua."

The door closed behind her as Aqua left. Link heard her and Zelda exchange a few words, before Navi shouted that she was coming too. Link got out of bed and got dressed, then headed down to the kitchen to eat his breakfast. He found a plate of bread, bacon, mushrooms and roasted tomatoes waiting for him.

"Bacon never gets old," said Link, as he patted his belly.

He washed his plate, chugged down the last of the juice. Link let out a loud belch, which drew a startled cry from Epona. Link went outside to check on his horse.

He smiled at her fondly as he scratched her on the nose. "Hey girl, how are you going?"

Epona licked Link on the cheek, which caused a startled laugh to come from him. "Aw, I love you too."

He refilled the trough of water for the horse, and then went back inside. He stood still for a moment, appreciating the quietness of the empty house. Link retrieved his pack from his room, and emptied out the contents onto the bench. Among the dirt, sand and bits of grass, were two brightly coloured feathers wrapped in a piece of cloth. Link quickly resumed doing what he started a long time ago, but had not found the time to complete. He found some sturdy string, and tied it tightly around the end of each of the feathers. Link weaved a pattern through the string, which made it stronger. He made two small loops in each end of the string, and brought them together. Once complete, Link held in his hands two necklaces, made from the feathers of the Loftwings him and Zelda had lost when Skyloft fell. He hadn't realised how much time had passed, but when he looked out the window he saw that the sun was high in the sky, the heat from it at its most intense.

"Can't hurt to take an afternoon nap, I guess." He said to himself.

Link went outside one last time to make sure Epona was happy, before he retreated back inside, and collapsed onto the couch. Within seconds, he was asleep.

* * *

><p>"Rise and shine, Link!"<p>

Zelda listened to Aqua explain to Link the days plans. Aqua returned to the front room when she was done, and got close enough to whisper into Zelda's ear.

"Does he always sleep this much?"

"Well… yeah. Anyway, you ready to leave? We should get going soon if we want to make it back before dinner."

"Don't forget me!" shouted Navi.

Zelda could not help but to feel nervous as they approached the temple at the heart of the city. When they were close enough, she could see that the temple was beneath a huge stone carving of the Goddess, sitting down with her hands out.

Zelda had an impressed look on her face. "Aqua! This place is amazing!"

Aqua smiled. "I know."

They came to the gates of the temple, but could not go any closer. Aqua grabbed the hem of Zelda's sleeve and pulled her down closer so they could whisper to each other.

"We have to be careful. Those aren't statues surrounding the entrance. They're the Keepers."

"I was wondering where they were, you did say that they were all over your city." said Navi, her tone rather snide.

Aqua's voice became an angered whisper. "Who invited you along!"

"Guys, please. Sort that out later. Right now we need to find a safe way to approach the temple and get inside." said Zelda, calmly. "Aqua, is there any other way in?"

"Unfortunately not. There's only one way in and out, and it's surrounded. We're going to have to fight our way through the Keepers."

"Hmm… What do you know about them? Is there any way we could make fighting them easier?"

"Not much. Their grip is almost unbreakable, so if they catch you, you probably won't be able to get away. Also, they are made of some kind of metal unknown to anyone in the city. No matter what people have tried, they have failed even to put a scratch in one. However, I don't think that anyone has ever used weapons like the ones we have."

Zelda poked her head out so she could get a better view of the Keepers. From head to toe, they were covered in armour that looked extremely heavy. The helmet resembled the head of a large bird, complete with a sharp beak that gleamed in the sunlight. The rest of it just looked normal, but no less dangerous. Zelda did not think that they looked like protectors at all.

They remained hidden outside the temple for a few hours, to observe the Keepers for any change in their behaviour. Zelda found her thoughts often wandering to Link, and what he was doing. Probably having a nap, she thought to herself.

After what seemed like many hours, Aqua finally decided that they should return to Link. When they got home, they found Link doing what he did best. There was a small puddle of drool on the cushion where Link was resting his head.

Aqua shrank back away from Link, and pointed at the puddle. "That… is kinda gross."

Zelda shook Link awake, and once he was fully attentive, they told him what they saw.

"Let's do this. Aqua, lead the way." Link was ready for action.

The darkness that had settled over the city that night seemed far from natural. Every shadow seemed to move and twist, constantly reminding the group of its presence. The closer they got to the temple, the blacker the night seemed to get.

"We're almost there," Aqua whispered. "Are we all good with the plan?"

"I'll hang back and cover you with my arrows."

"And I will charge in first, throwing energy from my sword."

"Once you two have done your part, I'll swoop down with my glider and attack from above. Navi, you wait back here with Epona."

Navi grumbled and flew over to sit on Epona's head.

Aqua placed a hand on Link and Zelda's shoulders. "We can do this. On the count of three, we attack."

"One."

"Two."

"Three!"

Zelda climbed a small pillar and perched herself on top. She charged up several arrows at once in her bow and the instant she summoned the light, the Keepers detected them and tried to get Zelda.

"You won't be touching her!" Link screamed, as he ran head on into the pack. He charged up an attack in his sword, and aimed it at the one closest to him. The beam hit the Keeper, knocking it back. It began to shake violently, before darkness spewed from the gaps in the armour. The pieces clattered to the ground, then dissolved. "Yeah, take that!"

In the split second Link wasted as he celebrated his first take down, another Keeper reached him and grabbed his arms. He struggled hard, but the Keeper kept squeezing him harder. Link roared in pain as his body began to crumple under the pressure. Suddenly, a bolt of light came down and hit the Keeper holding Link straight in the top of its head. The explosion of darkness sent Link flying forwards, straight into two more Keepers. He summoned his sword again, and cut through them in a huge arc. The sound of armour hitting the stone was ringing everywhere. Link heard Zelda scream and saw that the Keepers had destroyed the pillar that she was standing on, and she was falling to the ground. Aqua shot past the Keepers, and grabbed Zelda just before she hit the ground. One of the Keepers' blades had just nicked the edge of Aqua's glider, causing her to lose her balance and fall off. They hit the ground hard, and Zelda cringed as she heard a sickening crunch followed by a scream of agony coming from Aqua. Several Keepers were closing in on them, and Link was too busy fighting the ones around him to go and help the girls.

Link filled his sword with as much power as he could muster, and spun in a circle with his blade pointed outwards. The surge of energy he released took out all of the Keepers surrounding him, but it wasn't quick enough for him to reach Aqua and Zelda before the other Keepers did.

"NO!" Link screamed. The Keepers raised their swords, and swung them down. He ducked quickly as another sword swung straight at his head. Another set of Keepers had surrounded Link, forcing him to deal with them.

Aqua pushed herself into a sitting position. "Zelda, get close to me!"

The Keepers surrounded them and all swung their swords down on them at once. Aqua raised her Keyblade above her head.

"Protect!"

A crystal ball appeared around them, blocking the attacks of the Keepers. Aqua screamed as she stood up, and smashed her Keyblade into the ground. The crystal shield shattered, and then Aqua sent the shards flying outwards. The effort caused her to collapse on the ground again, but the enemies around them had been defeated.

Zelda knelt down and looked into Aqua's eyes. "Use your power to heal yourself; I need to go help Link!"

Aqua grunted and nodded.

Zelda ran to Link, and bashed two of the Keepers with her bow to knock them backwards. Before they could stabilise and retaliate, Zelda had shot two arrows right through the both of them. Some of the Keepers attacking Link turned their attention to her, allowing Link some breathing room.

"You alright Zelda?"

"Just wonderful!"

Zelda moved through the enemies with lighting speed. She ducked, dodged and bashed her way through them, and when she had rounded up several of them, she charged up another cluster of arrows. Zelda let out a mighty war cry and released the string of her bow. The arrows pierced through every single suit of armour, and hit the ground. There was not many left, so Zelda ran to Aqua to check on her. Zelda finished healing Aqua's injuries, and helped her to stand up.

Link sliced through the Keepers with amazing grace. It appeared as if he was dancing, completely in tune with his sword. When he moved, the sword moved as though it were a part of him. Link ran at another Keeper and slid under its horizontal sword strike. He hit its feet and knocked it over, then quickly stood up and plunged the master sword into the Keepers head. Another Keeper came at him, this time with an attack coming downwards at his head. Link flipped backwards out of the way and put his hand to the ground as he was upside down. He used the energy from his jump to execute another spinning sword attack like before, only this one was vertical. He sliced the Keepers in front and behind him cleanly in half before landing delicately on his feet. He looked around and saw that the Keepers were no more.

Link ran over to the two girls and stood beside them. "Are you two okay?"

"We're fine. I think Aqua may have broken her leg, but I've fixed her up enough to continue on. She'll be sore tomorrow, though."

"Ugh. Great."

Zelda patted Aqua on the shoulder reassuringly. "You'll be able to ease the pain yourself, and the day after you should be fully operational."

"I suppose that isn't too bad. Anyway, now that we've cleared out the front, shall we head inside?"

Link and Zelda briefly looked at each other before they turned back to Aqua and nodded. The three of them stood side by side and stared at the entrance to the temple. They all took in a deep breath, and marched in.

They were in a large, square room with stairs in the middle. On each side of the steps were two large, carved snake heads, with carvings in a strange language written on them. Link eyed them suspiciously, and silently prayed to the Goddess that they were not a warning, but just a friendly message. Somehow, he doubted that. At the feet of each snake was a thick red carpet that ran all the way to the top of the stairs. Link and Aqua started up them, but Zelda was still examining the writing.

"I think… I can read this. Just give me a minute."

Zelda pressed her hands to the words, and the mark on her hand flared.

Zelda began to speak, very slowly. "All who enter, heed this warning…"

Link slapped his palm to his forehead.

Zelda continued. "The carriers of light are the only ones fit to proceed. Anyone else will find no way ahead. If they try to create one, they will be destroyed. And… the rest is not for us." She joined Aqua and Link halfway up the stairs.

When they reached the top, there were two archways leading off to each side. Link, however, was more interested in the chest in the middle of the floor.

Link pointed to the chest. "Guys, should we open it?"

"Open… what?"

"That big golden chest. On the floor. It looks like it would have something in it?" Link replied.

Aqua looked to Zelda and shrugged. "We can't see anything."

Link placed his hands on the lid of the ornate chest. Then, he vanished.

"Link!" shouted Zelda.

Aqua looked very startled by Link's vanishing act. "What is going on!"

Link opened the chest, and in the bottom was a magnificent shield, unlike anything he had ever seen. It was shaped like a diamond; albeit with a pointier bottom half. The edges were crafted from ruby red material that seemed to absorb light around it. The centre of the shield was made from a strange metal, similar to what the Keepers were made from. Instead of it being gold like the Keepers, however, it was a silvery white colour that reflected everything perfectly. Link reached out to pick up the shield, and the reflection dimmed. He held it in his hands, and for a brief moment, his Triforce mark flashed. Knowledge of the shield filled his mind, and then a strap appeared over his shoulder and back. Link placed the shield on his back, and it sat there perfectly.

"Sweet!" said Link. Or at least he tried to. No sound came from his mouth, not even when he gasped at the shock of the sudden quietness.

"_Oh, no. No no no. No way!" _Link thought to himself. _"Not another Silent Realm."_

Link looked around, and took in his surroundings. He appeared to be standing on the surface of a lake, except that the water was perfectly still, like a mirror. Link looked down at his feet, and jumped out of the way as his reflection attacked him. The water rippled, and a dark, shadow Link came through. Link summoned the master sword and readied himself. He was shocked, however, when this 'Dark Link' did the same.

"What are you!" They both shouted, exactly in time.

Link screamed at the creature, and swung his sword at it. It met his attack with a blow identical to the one he had just tried to deliver. Link attacked again and again, but his swings were met with the same. His sword clanged against the other, sending showers of sparks with each hit. Link kept at his attacks, hoping the other one might slip up, but he never did. Then, he had an idea. Link raised the master sword skyward once more, and let it fill with energy. He shot it out at the other Link, but it was met with a bolt of darkness from the enemy's sword.

It felt like many hours that Link had been battling his foe. Every step he made was reflected back by the other Link. No matter what technique he tried, it was always matched.

Link roared in frustration, and dropped his weapon. It retreated back into his hand before it hit the ground. The shadow clone did the same. Link charged at it as fast as he could, and just before they hit each other, Link raised his new shield.

Dark Link smashed into the shield, which caused Link to shudder under the pressure. Link looked up directly at his dark self. Where it made contact with the shield, the fist of Dark Link began to shatter. The pieces hit the water surface, causing that to shatter as well. Link fell backwards into the water. He turned to see where he would hit the ground, and saw Zelda and Aqua standing there, frozen.

There was a flash of light, and Link reappeared above Aqua and Zelda. He hit the ground with a thud.

Zelda rushed over to him. "What happened to you?"

Link sat up and rubbed his head. "Well, when I touched the chest – which was totally there! – I was transported to a Silent Realm. It was weird… like I was standing on top of this," Link raised his newly acquired shield, "and when I looked down, my own reflection came out and attacked me. Everything I did it did as well. In the end, I defeated it, and now I'm back here. So, how long was I gone for?"

Zelda frowned slightly. "A few seconds at the most. Why?"

"It felt like I was there for hours, fighting that thing."

Aqua walked over to the arch on the right, but it was blocked by a giant stone cube. "Well, you've got a fancy new shield now, which is all well and good. But I think we should focus on getting through this now. We can't go this way."

Link walked over and tried the door on the other side, but it too was not possible to get through. It just led to a stone wall with a small tunnel at its base.

He sighed. "Now what?"

"I have no idea." Aqua replied. "Whenever my people came here to pray, they only ever used this room. Some never even came inside, they deemed the statue outside good enough. I've been in here vary rarely myself. Besides, I was kinda hoping that, you know, with the Triforce we would be able to proceed."

Link turned to the stairs. "I'm gonna go get Navi. Maybe she can help."

Link took one step down, before Zelda stopped him.

"Maybe you have that shield for a reason."

"Huh?"

Zelda walked to him and held out her hands. "Give it to me for a moment, please."

Link gently handed Zelda his shield. She studied it carefully, before holding it up in the air.

Zelda groaned in frustration. "There isn't enough light to create a good reflection…" She stood still for a moment as she thought.

While Zelda was busy, Aqua shuffled over to Link's side, and leaned in close to his ear. She whispered quietly enough that Zelda could not hear.

"You and Zelda, hmm?"

Link began to blush. "Oh. What. I'm…"

Aqua smiled. "She is quite beautiful, and you're quite handsome yourself."

Link looked at Zelda again, watching her as she moved around the room trying to catch any light she could.

Link laughed softly. "She certainly is."

Aqua poked Link on the shoulder. "And, as an added bonus, you two are very cute together."

The blush on Link's cheeks moved up to the tips of his ears. He opened his mouth to reply, but Zelda called them over before he could reply. "Link, stand here. Aqua, you go over there." She handed Link his shield. "See this symbol? It's on the roof as well."

Etched into the hard stone ceiling was a symbol the same as the one on Link's shield, but with a Triforce in the middle.

Zelda continued. "I think that means we need to use the light of the Triforce on this shield, to create a reflection."

She moved over to Aqua, and raised her hand so that her mark was facing Link. Aqua did the same.

"Raise your shield."

Link nodded, and took a defensive stance. He bent his knees slightly, and held his shield squarely in front of him. Zelda and Aqua closed their eyes, and took in a deep breath. They let their power flow, and both of them felt warmth spread through their bodies. The marks began to shimmer brightly, before two golden beams shot into Link's shield.

The shield absorbed the light, and Link lined it up with the mark on the roof. He put his own energy into the shield, which sent a blast of light into the symbol. It too absorbed the energy, and for a moment, nothing happened. Then, just like in Skyloft, the wall below the mark flashed briefly and then vanished.

Behind the wall was a long hallway. They entered, and they saw that the walls were mirrors. The wall that they came through appeared again, sealing them inside the room. Link, Zelda and Aqua moved closer together and walked deeper into the darkness. There was a faint scratching noise that became clearer and clearer the further they proceeded.

The hallway ended and opened up into a circular room. All around it were pillars that reached up to the ceiling. The scratching noise stopped, and for a brief moment they were in complete silence. There was a huge crashing sound, and a giant beast came falling down from the roof.

It was in the shape of a dog, except the entire creature appeared to be made from shattered mirrors. The creature bounded around the room before charging at Link, Zelda and Aqua. They dived out of the way just in time, and the beast smashed into a pillar, sending it crashing to the ground. Zelda got up quickly and shot some arrows at it, but they bounced off in every direction. The beast roared again and stood up on its hind legs. It summoned shards of glass which were aimed at Zelda and sent them hurtling towards her. Aqua got in the way just in time, and used her protect magic. The shards managed to get only partially through, and Aqua sent them flying back to the creature.

Link circled behind it, and used his sword to cut at its feet. He chipped away small pieces of the creature's leg, but that only served to alert it to his location. It stamped its feet angrily, before it took in a huge breath. An orb of darkness formed there, and with a great roar it was sent at Link. It was too large to dodge, and all Link could do to protect himself was raise his shield. The orb hit it, and for a few seconds it seemed as though it was going to break through. The shield held out though, and absorbed the attack. Link reacted quickly and pushed the darkness out of his shield back at the attacker. It jumped out of the way, but the blast still struck its hind legs. Part of its mirror coating melted away, revealing a dark fleshy substance beneath. It shook violently in pain, and scrambled towards Link, its claws tearing up chunks of the ground.

"Link, look out!" shouted Aqua. She could see he wouldn't be able to move in time. "Protect!"

The crystal shielding surrounded Link, but the beast smashed through it easily. A huge claw came crashing down and it sent Link flying into a wall. He hit it hard and slumped to the ground.

Zelda screamed, and charged up another light arrow. Fuelled by her anger, it contained the strength of ten arrows. She fired, and it cut cleanly through the fleshy part of the creature that Link had revealed. The leg fell off, and a dark liquid spurted from the ends. It skittered along the ground for a moment, twitching like the severed tail of a skink. While the beast was distracted, Zelda ran to Link's side to check if he was okay. He was unconscious, but still breathing. She sent a short wave of healing energy into Link before turning back to see Aqua fighting the beast. She struck it several times in the head with her Keyblade, before thrusting it deep into the open mouth of the monster. More of the black liquid spewed forth from its mouth, and it went into a berserk state. Aqua was sent flying and landed on her leg that had been hurt outside. The immense pain caused her to blackout, and could do nothing to stop the beast from charging at her. Zelda ran and dived between them, shooting another light arrow straight into the gaping mouth of the beast. It recoiled away and began charging another orb of dark energy. Zelda tried shooting again, but the darkness simply absorbed her attacks. They seemed to make it grow larger. The beast roared, and sent the huge orb flying straight at Zelda. She raised her bow in front of her to shield herself, but had already accepted defeat. Just before it hit, the mirror shield came flying across the room to intercept the attack. Link was back on his feet, and had thrown it just in time. The dark energy disappeared inside the shield, which then slid along the ground.

Link ran to the shield, ducking under a claw of the beast on the way. "You take care of Aqua, I'll handle this!"

The shield was pulsing with energy when Link picked it up. He could feel it vibrating in his grip, brimming with power. He let out his best battle cry and released the energy back at the monster. All of the armour protecting its body disintegrated, and Link ran up and sliced off its head. The beast collapsed, and dissolved into a bubbling pile of black goo. Aqua and Zelda were both on their feet, walking towards him.

The three of them looked at each other for a brief moment. Their faces lit up with huge smiles, and they all pulled in to a big hug.

Aqua was bouncing up and down excitedly as she spoke. "I can't believe we just defeated that!"

"Yeah, Link, you were amazing." Zelda said, as she patted him on the back.

Link had a huge grin on his face. "We all were!"

There was a strange hissing noise filling the room. The dark bile that came from the creature was seeping into the floor.

Link was the first to notice. "I don't think we're done just yet. Be ready."

They watched as the floor bubbled and warped, but soon the darkness was replaced by light. A golden line began to illuminate a giant keyhole shape in the floor. The floor inside the keyhole mark shimmered and then vanished, revealing a swirling portal into darkness. Link and Zelda looked down into it, and what Zelda saw caused her to immediately break down into tears.

"Father!" she screamed.

Inside the keyhole were all the people that had been taken by the heartless. Zelda called for him again, but he could not hear her. The look on Gaepora's face was one of utter terror, as everywhere he looked was pure darkness. Suddenly, he stood up and began backing away. They could not hear him, but he was clearly screaming.

Zelda could watch no longer, so she turned away and into Link's arms. "Shhh, shh… It's going to be okay, Zelda. C'mon, you can't stop now! We need you to tell us what to do, wise one." He kissed her on the head, and she looked up into his eyes.

Link's smile immediately made Zelda calm down. His smile filled her with warmth, and she knew she could trust Link. She nodded, and wiped away her tears. "Okay."

She raised her hand to her head, and closed her eyes. "I know what we have to do. We must use the power of the Triforce to seal this keyhole, and prevent any more darkness from escaping here."

The three of them raised their hands, and became surrounded by a bright and beautiful light. It filled the room, much the same as the place the acquired their weapons in Skyloft. It was pleasant, and seemed to tickle their skin as it washed over them. It grew brighter and brighter, and all of the aches and pains form the battle vanished. It became so bright that they could see nothing, and then they heard a deep clink, like a door locking. The light cleared, and the Keyhole vanished.

They walked out together, with their arms linked. It was very dark outside, but they could see far enough to tell that Navi and Epona were surrounded.


	9. Chapter IX: The Heavenly Warrior

**A/N: The usual! Please read and review! Many thanks :)  
><strong>

**CHAPTER IX: THE HEAVENLY WARRIOR**

The three of them drew their weapons and ran towards their Navi and Epona. They stopped short of attacking when they saw that they were not in any danger. In fact, it was quite the opposite.

Link pushed through the Keepers and went straight to Navi. "Are you okay? What's going on here?"

Navi lit up when she saw her friends return. "While you were in there, I was just waiting here with Epona – which was extremely boring, I might add – and the Keepers began to reform. I tried to get Epona to run with me, but she wouldn't budge. We were surrounded and I thought we were going to be attacked but then one of them bowed to me, and asked if it might escort me anywhere, because, and I quote 'the streets are not safe for a fairy at night.' And then you guys came back."

Zelda's Triforce mark shone for split second before she spoke. "Sealing the keyhole must have blocked the darkness, so the Keepers are no longer corrupted."

"Does this mean that the people will come back too!" said Aqua, excitedly.

"I'm sorry… but no. The only reason the Keepers could return to normal is because they have no heart to lose. I saw… my father in the darkness. It surrounded him, and he was terrified. I believe that if we find the actual door to the darkness, we could free everyone who hasn't been turned yet."

Aqua touched her necklace momentarily before asking another question. "Did you see anyone else?"

"I'm sorry… no one that I recognised." Zelda's eyes implied that she did not see the mysterious friends in Aqua's note book.

Aqua breathed deeply. "Okay."

"Well then, Zelda. Where are we headed next?" asked Link, sensing the need for a topic change.

"When I was with Impa, she mentioned that there was a source of great darkness in the heart of a valley somewhere. I know not where this valley is though, I'm afraid. Aqua?"

Aqua thought hard for a moment before she shook her head. "No… Sorry. I don't know either."

A strangely metallic sounding voice joined the conversation. It was one of the Keepers. "Pardon me ma'am, but there is a valley that is about a week away from here called the Arundel. It is not often visited by people because it contains a great many monsters. There is one tribe of people there who may be able to help you find what it is you are looking for. Unfortunately, I am unable to process a travel brochure for you and your friends at this current time."

Zelda patted the Keeper on its hand. "Uhh… Thank you?"

"I am glad to have been of service." With those words, the Keeper departed along with the rest of them.

"Link, do you think Epona would be able to get us there, by the name of the place alone?"

"I don't know, I've always visualised… something, and that is how she found her way. It won't hurt to try I guess."

Link climbed up onto Epona's back and concentrated hard on 'Arundel.' For a moment she didn't move, but then she neighed in acceptance of the destination. "I think we're good to go." Link jumped down off of Epona's back.

Aqua smiled at the horse. She couldn't stop thinking about how amazing that was. "I think it would be best if we rested for the night, resupply whatever we need to in the morning, and leave before lunch."

They returned to Aqua's home and ate little before they realised how tired the battle had made them. Within minutes they were all asleep.

Link heaved the gates to the city open. He was immediately blasted by a wave of dry heat from the desert. He joined Zelda on the back of Epona, who was packed and saddled, and waited for Aqua to get onto her glider. With one final look at the city behind them, they closed the doors and set off.

Aqua took the next few days as a chance to have fun with her glider. She surfed on the sands expertly, often leaving Link in awe of her skill. On their third day of travel, Aqua finally gave in to Link's constant pestering for a turn on the glider.

Aqua tried to talk him out of it, but he wouldn't listen. "I just don't think this is a very good idea…"

"Don't be silly. I will be fine, there's nothing to worry about!" Link had a huge grin on his face as he stepped on the glider. He was jittery with excitement and found it hard to concentrate on Aqua's instruction.

"Link! Are you even listening? You need to feel your centre of gravity in relation to the glider. Try to keep it always in your middle, so you don't fall off. Got it memorised?" Aqua snapped.

"Yeah, yeah. Can I ride now?"

Aqua pressed her fingers to her temples, and rubbed gently. "Yes." She just hoped he actually listened.

Aqua joined Zelda on Epona's back, and waited for the horse to become accustomed to her.

Link walked to Epona's head and looked into her eyes. "Keep going to the place I said, can you do that for me?"

Epona nodded, and Link patted her on the head. He chuckled slightly, as he always did when he saw Epona do things that people do.

Link stepped onto the glider, and felt it sink under his own wait. It readjusted, and he was hovering a foot and a half off of the ground. He moved forward, slowly at first, before gradually picking up speed.

When she was satisfied with Link's grasp on the basics of riding the glider, Zelda and herself set off too. Slowly, at first, but eventually she felt confident enough with Link for him to go full speed. Epona galloped as fast as she could, and Zelda turned to look at Link. All she saw was a giant cloud of dust and sand, and the glider bouncing along the ground.

"Aqua, stop! Link has fallen off!"

Epona turned around, and ran towards Link. Aqua called her glider back and it flew alongside her until they reached Link.

Zelda could not help but to laugh when she saw Link's bottom half sticking up out of the ground. She helped him up and out of the hole he had put himself in, and smiled at him when she saw that he was fine. "Maybe you should give the glider a rest; we don't want you killing yourself on it."

Link hesitated, but agreed. "Yeah, you're probably right."

"Yeeee! My turn then!" shouted Zelda, as she jumped off of Epona's back and onto the glider.

Link and Aqua looked at each other and smiled before they continued on. Zelda was a much more proficient rider than Link. Within minutes, she was jumping up sand dunes and racing at full speed.

They travelled onwards for the next two days, only changing course once to find some water. They kept rotating between horse and glider, and it eventually became clear that Zelda was the best rider of them all, which annoyed Aqua slightly. She didn't let it bug her, but she did stop sharing it around after that. It seemed to be cooling down quite a bit, so they assumed that they must be close to the edge of the desert. This made them push harder in the hopes that they would be able to leave the arid heat of the desert for good.

The night came and went, and before they knew it, it was time to continue onwards. By midday, they could see the beginnings of a forest. They made it into the trees, and by the time it was night, it was thick enough for them to be mostly covered. They set up camp, and eagerly prepared their dinner.

Aqua stood up from the fire pit she was digging and looked around. "Damn, there's not enough firewood around here. I'll be back with some soon! Navi, you come too!" Navi begrudgingly agreed to go along, but made no effort to be friendly with Aqua.

Link pretended to be busy doing something until he was sure Aqua was far enough. "Zelda, come over here please."

She stood up and walked over to Link to see what he wanted, and noticed that he was blushing slightly. "Yes?"

"I… made something for you. I would have given it to you earlier but I didn't have much time to finish it, and I wanted to wait until we were alone before I gave it to you." Link extended his hand, and in it was a small package wrapped in golden paper.

Zelda picked up the gift, and unwrapped it gently. She looked up into Link's hopeful eyes before tipping out the contents of the gift. In her hands was a beautiful hand woven necklace, with a feather of her Loftwing as the pendant. Zelda was speechless for a moment, before she wrapped her arms around Link and pulled him into a gentle kiss. It startled Link, but then he relaxed and kissed back.

"Thank you, Link. This is a lovely gift."

Link reached into his pack and pulled out his own necklace. "One each, see? Our Loftwings are with us wherever we go." He smiled and pulled the strings over his head. Link tucked the crimson feather under his shirt before he picked up Zelda's hands and held them in his. They sat there like that for a while, just looking into each other's eyes.

The two of them looked up when they heard Aqua and Navi yelling at each other in the distance.

Aqua, being considerably larger than Navi, was the most audible. "What is your problem with me? You've made no secret of your distaste, and I can accept that you don't like me, I just want to know why!"

Aqua emerged into the clearing, and threw down the bundle of wood she was carrying. Navi soon followed.

Link stood between the two. "What is going on with you two!"

"That fairy has an issue with me, and I don't know what I've done to provoke her!"

Link turned to face Navi. "Why are you angry at Aqua? I've noticed you seem considerably less cheerful when she's around."

"Fine! You want to know why? She killed my sister!" screamed Navi.

"See! I did noth- what!"

Navi's voice was beginning to crack with emotion. "If you were more careful, Tatl would still be here! She had to give up her life to protect you, because you were irresponsible! Because of you I will never see her again!"

Aqua dropped to her knees and began to sob. "I'm so… sorry. I didn't mean to… I… I couldn't do anything. I tried to fight but I was too weak…"

Zelda rushed down to Aqua's side and held her tightly. "Navi. I cannot believe you! Your sister gave her life to protect the Triforce. If the heartless got their hands on Aqua and turned her into a heartless, we would have no chance at protecting the world! She did what she had to do, and you should be proud that you knew someone with such courage!"

Zelda helped Aqua to her feet before turning to face Navi one last time. "You should be ashamed."

Navi looked to Link in the hope he would back her up, but he refused to look up and make eye contact. Navi refused to apologise, because that meant she had to admit she was wrong. The rest of them cooked, at and cleaned together, while Navi sat by herself. Navi chose to retire to her tent early that night. She said goodnight to all of them very quickly, then went into her little makeshift home.

Aqua looked back at Navi's tent, and sighed. Link and Zelda could see that she was clearly saddened by what Navi had said. They had the feeling that Aqua would feel guilty about that for quite some time. Aqua chose to retire early also, and soon it was just Link and Zelda sitting in front of the crackling fire. Zelda leaned her head against Link's shoulder, and they sat together, hand in hand.

* * *

><p>There was an awkward silence hanging about the camp after the events of the night before. It was only broken by the occasional 'bring me that' or 'get some of this.' Things were especially tense between Navi and Zelda, who was still quite angry at the fairy for making Aqua feel the way she did. As soon as they were packed, they set off; Link especially eager to move on. The deeper they got into the trees, the more humid the air became. All of their clothes became damp, which gave them an extremely unpleasant sensation all over their bodies.<p>

After a few more hours of walking, the trees began to clear once again. They gave way to a sweeping vista of the open valley. The cliff faces on each side were gigantic, big enough to make your head spin just by looking at them. Trees and vines poked out of the cracks in the walls, and draped down all the way to the bottom. Many sounds filled the valley, including the crashing noise of a waterfall which was quite loud, and suggested it was nearby. They could hear the cries of many different animals, and Link even thought he heard the caw of a Loftwing, but he soon realised he was mistaken, much to his disappointment. Link walked up to the edge, and saw that there were many levels of the valley before they would reach the bottom.

Link looked around a bit more, before nodding his head in satisfaction. "If we walk along the edge here, we can make it down to the next rock face. I don't feel safe standing here, it feels too… crumbly."

Link held Epona's reigns tightly as he guided her along the thin path that they were taking. She was agitated by the lack of secure footing, but Link urged her onwards. They continued downwards like this, until they were almost at the bottom. Link could make out a large, clear stream of water, as well as a good spot for them to make camp.

"We're almost there!" said Link eagerly. He took one step forward, and the earth beneath his feet gave way, sending him, Epona, Zelda and Aqua sliding down the rock face. Aqua quickly summoned her glider and jumped on, landing safely on the valley floor. She sent it up to retrieve Zelda who landed gracefully. She was about to send it up to get Link, but he hit a rock and flipped over, and tumbled down the rest of the hill.

Link could do little to stop himself from hitting the woman that had emerged from the bushes beneath him. He hit her hard, and they both tumbled over. The woman gracefully jumped up and stepped on Link, with her blade pressed to his throat.

"Who are you?" she said, her voice a commanding tone. "You stay back or I will end him!" She said to Aqua and Zelda.

"Link! I'm not here to do anything bad, I swear!" said Link, his hands raised in protest.

"Hmmm… You certainly don't look like one of those monsters, and you look weak enough that I could defeat you if you tried anything funny." The woman's words were as much a warning to Link as they were an observation. She lifted her blade, and extended out her arm to help him up. "My name is Nariko."

Link accepted the help and stood up, brushing himself off. "Pleased to meet you."

Nariko was a tall woman with an extremely beautiful appearance and sharp facial features. Her long, deep red hair seemed to float around her, giving her a mystical, almost heavenly appearance. Her fringe was held back by a simple copper band, and the rest of it was tied back with a smaller copper ring and held in place by two chopsticks.

"Why are you here?"

They spent a quite a while explaining their situation to Nariko, who sat silently listening to the entirety of their story. Once they had finished, she looked unblinkingly into Link's eyes. "I am going with you."

Before they could talk any more, they were ambushed by heartless that shot down out of the sky. There was at least forty of the flying bird-like heartless, who moved at incredible speeds. Sharp talons clawed at the group who were swinging helplessly at the attackers. Nariko unsheathed her weapon, a great blade that was almost as long as Link was tall. It was intricately designed, with a strange inscription running along the blade. Nariko split the blade in half, which swung around with enough speed to match that of the flying heartless. No matter what form the sword took, Nariko sliced and diced her enemies up in a beautiful dance of death, each movement marked with a lethal elegance, making her as deadly as she is beautiful.

Nariko had quickly dispatched all of the flying heartless, when more of them started coming from the ground. There were so many heartless – more than they had ever seen. Amongst the normal shadows were much larger ones that made the ground shake with each step. After watching Nariko's grand display of her finesse in combat, Link wanted to show off a few of his own moves. He unleashed his most powerful spin attack and felled many heartless with one attack. Zelda took a turn to show off too, and she ran up to one of the giant heartless and jumped up its back. She launched an arrow into the back of its head and flipped backwards off of it. On her descent, she let loose another two arrows, causing the giant shadow to explode. Aqua was already zooming around the battlefield on her glider, swinging her Keyblade left to right and taking down many heartless. Even Epona got in a chance to take out a couple of shadows.

"You are fine warriors. I am glad to be able to travel by your side." Nariko bowed slightly as she spoke. "I know where we need to go. The heart of the valley is just beyond my village; we should stop and rest there before continuing onwards."

Link looked to Zelda, who nodded in agreement.

"Very well. Follow me."

Nariko travelled in silence, so Link decided he'd try and strike up a conversation. "That is an interesting sword, Nariko. It looks very powerful."

"This sword is a curse. My clan believes it was forged in heaven. I know this is not so. This sword – this 'Heavenly Sword' – has seen much bloodshed and battle. I would never have taken up such a monstrous thing had I been left with a choice." Nariko said bitterly.

Link stayed quiet for the rest of the walk.


	10. Chapter X: The Burnt Village

**A/N: Thanks for getting this far! Hope you're enjoying it. This chapter is a little bit short because I'd had to either have it short, or have a really long one! Please, read and review. Thanks!  
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**CHAPTER X:THE BURNT VILLAGE  
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Nariko led the group through a hidden path that was covered with vines. "We have arrived at my village. I am sorry about the state it is in."

The path opened up, and it was clear that the village was in ruin. Buildings were crumbled and destroyed, with scorch marks everywhere. Massive chunks of earth had been ripped up and thrown into other houses, leaving nothing but piles of rubble. The village would have been beautiful had it not been destroyed. Each building was quite small, but in perfect balance, every side the same as the other. The roofs, or what was left of them, were beautifully designed, and the four corners curled up into dragon heads. All the houses were surrounding a massive, now fallen, tree with tiny pink flowers.

Aqua was shaken at how much damage had happened here. "How did this happen?"

"A great beast came here and breathed black flames all over my village. Anybody that was touched by it became nothing but a writhing mass of shadows which were soon snatched up by the beast. The monster… was a dragon. Even when it had taken everybody, the dragon still destroyed everything. There was no purpose in it." Nariko dropped her head in shame. "I was unable to help… I couldn't save anybody that I loved. Everyone… gone. This is why I must go with you. I need to get my revenge, even if it kills me in doing so."

Zelda sensed that there was more to the story, but did not wish to pursue it. Sometimes she wished that the Triforce of Wisdom could be turned off when she wanted it to be. "It sounds like your village was attacked by a heartless, and an especially powerful one at that."

"These heartless, they are what attacked us earlier?"

Zelda nodded. "We have fought quite a few, but I know that there are many more different types we have yet to encounter. I suspect that the dragon-heartless that attacked this place is the guardian of a keyhole."

Nariko did not want to hear the whole story about how the heartless worked, nor did she care. She just wanted them destroyed. "We can set up camp in the sanctuary where we kept this blade. It was breached by heartless, but it is the safest place for us to be. Someone will have to keep watch at all times." Nariko walked off, without further explanation.

Aqua followed, with Link and Zelda leading Epona. Navi was resting inside a spot in their pack, still refusing to talk.

Link turned to Zelda, and whispered in her ear. "I think there is something she isn't telling us."

"Don't ask her about it. We have all lost a lot, and I think that she has something too painful to share. She will tell us when she is ready." Zelda replied. "Besides, I don't want to make her angry. She's… scary."

Link and Zelda continued drifting behind, taking in all the sights around them. The damage here reminded them of their own home. They could never go back there, never rebuild it. At least Nariko's village had things that could be salvaged, nothing remained of Skyloft. This saddened Zelda greatly, but Link saw things a little differently.

"Zelda, think about it. We may have lost our home, but at least people can still come back here and start again. I am happy that the heartless haven't completely eradicated this place, and you should be too. We can't let things like this get us down. We have to remain strong in the face of adversity, for everyone. Have hope."

He stopped and held Zelda's hands, looking into her eyes. "Be strong."

The two of them picked up their speed so they could catch up with Aqua and Nariko. It was a short walk to where they set up their camp. Aqua found it very hard to be here, seeing how utterly destroyed this place was, especially considering how her city did not take much damage. She shuddered to think of what remained of Link and Zelda's home.

Nariko took them to a large, ornately crafted building with a large round door. "It is just through here. Set up what you need to while I am gone. There is something that I must take care of."

Link carried all of their goods into the sanctuary before tying Epona to a tree outside and fetched the horse a large tub and filled it with water. Link stepped inside and said goodbye to Nariko.

"I will be back shortly." With those words, Nariko picked up the door and put it back in place.

Link walked inside to meet the girls, who were chattering about their new companion.

Aqua was bouncing around excitedly. "She is so pretty! Her hair is amazing; I wonder how she keeps it clean! I bet she puts soothing botanicals in it!"

Link cleared his throat and tried to change the topic to something he could talk about too. "She is a great fighter; I've never seen anything like her. She must have been training hard for a very long time to get skill like that."

Both girls looked at each other before looking to Link.

"Yes, but she is very beautiful, don't you think?" said Aqua.

Link suspected that they were trying to trick him into saying someone other than Zelda was beautiful, so he answered very carefully. "I guess so, but she isn't really my type."

Zelda lit up with a huge grin before turning to her pack. "We should set up our sleeping stuff. We don't need tents, just bedrolls."

The room was quite large, with many pedestals and ornaments around the outside. In the centre was a raised basin with logs inside. Link was relieved when he realised that he wouldn't have to dig out a fire pit for that night. He quickly set up his own bedroll before rushing over to do Zelda's. It was laid out perfectly, and he even plumped up her headrest.

Aqua noticed this display and smiled slightly. As she was lighting the fire, she lost concentration for a while as she thought how nice it would be to have someone who would care for her the way Link did. She summoned her Keyblade and used it to light the fire which crackled to life, casting an orange light all around the room. With everything illuminated, the paintings that covered the roof became visible. Each picture flowed into the next, creating a beautifully detailed depiction of the tale of the Heavenly Sword. Aqua made a mental note to ask Nariko about it. While she was relaxing by the fire, Link got up and said he needed to do something, and walked outside.

As soon as Link had left the room, Zelda burst with excitement. "I have been dying to tell you something! You're going to love this!"

"You found some chocolate!" shouted Aqua gleefully.

"No! Even better, Link and I finally kissed! It was perfect…" Zelda sighed as she remembered.

"Better than chocolate! Maybe I should try my hand at wooing him, although, judging by the way he acts around you, that would be impossible… So, when did this happen? Tell me everything!"

"Well, two nights ago, it was just us two at camp. You had gone off to get firewood, and he told me to come over to him. He gave me this necklace, and then… it just happened. We kissed! Well, I kissed him first, but then he kissed back. And then you came back with Navi."

As soon as they had said her name, Link entered with the fairy flying behind him. She flew straight up to Aqua and hovered there for a brief moment, as if working up the courage to say something.

"Aqua… I'm sorry. I shouldn't have acted the way I did, I was being unreasonable… we knew what we would have to do when we chose to help the Goddess. I just miss Tatl so much, and it pains me greatly to know that I will never see her again."

Aqua stayed quiet for a moment. "It's okay, Navi. I forgive you."

Link spoke up now, a big smile on his face. "Guys, I think it's time… for a group hug!" He pulled everyone in and squeezed tightly. He wouldn't let go until he felt everyone else hugging properly as well. "Next time, we have to get Nariko as well. She is going to travel with us, after all."

Nariko walked along the paths of her village. She took in every sight, sound and smell around her, trying to memorise them before leaving this place for good. Even though this place was filled with hardships for her, it was still Nariko's home, and the few friends she had were from this place. Nariko at last reached the steps that led to the view of the waterfall which ran far up the side of the valley. Upon reaching the top, she took a deep breath and knelt down in silent prayer. Nariko stood up and walked to the edge of the platform, where she could see everything below her. She held in her hand a branch of the tree in the centre of the village. There was three cherry blossoms still attached to the end, possible the only ones that remained unscathed by the attack on her village.

"My dearest sister, Kai. I love you so much, and I hope you can forgive me for not being there when you needed me. You were always by my side whenever I needed you… I will miss you." She plucked the largest flower off the branch, and dropped it down into the water below. She watched it drift in the wind until it landed on the surface of the water. "My father, Shen. I am sorry for all the pain I have brought into your life. I can only hope that what I do now will make things right." She did the same with the second flower on the branch. "And mother… I never knew you, but… I hope I am making you proud." Nariko cast the last flower off the edge before turning away. She surprised herself when a tear ran down her cheek. Nariko wiped it away hastily before returning to her new companions.

Link was out with Epona when Nariko returned. She nodded curtly at him and asked if he needed help cleaning her reigns and brushing her hair. He gratefully accepted and they finished up in half the time it would have taken alone.

Link sat down next to Epona. "Care to join me? I've got some chocolate, and you better get in now before Aqua finds it."

The corner of Nariko's mouth rose in a slight smile. "Thank you." She sat down in front of Link, so that she could reach Epona's head. The horse looked at her before resuming her snacking on the grass. Nariko reached out to scratch her head. "You have a beautiful horse. I have not seen a creature quite like it in my lifetime."

"She is a lovely girl, I am glad to have met her. She is very special too."

"How so?"

"She can take me anywhere, as long as I know what it looks like or what it's called. She can't cross water though."

Nariko's eyes widened in amazement. "You certainly are lucky to have her. She seems quite attached to you, Link. How long have you been with her?"

Link thought hard for a moment, trying to count the days since they met. "About 3 weeks, I'd say."

"Not long at all, then. It would seem that you have a way with animals."

"I think being with my Loftwing for so long gave me the right techniques for caring for them."

Nariko raised her eyebrow. "Your Loftwing?"

"Where I come from, everyone in my city was paired with their Loftwing at a young age. My city was called Skyloft, and before the heartless came to it, it floated through the sky. We used the Loftwings to fly around to the different islands above the clouds, where many of us lived."

"Your city… In the sky? I've never heard of anything like that. Where is your Loftwing now?"

"Skyloft was kept in the sky by the magic of our Goddess. When the heartless came, they corrupted it, and it came crashing to the ground. There is nothing of it. My Loftwing… He must have tried to find me, or even just tried to escape, but… he didn't make it. A while ago, Zelda and I found both of our birds' bodies in a forest. Our Loftwings were always close, much like the two of us are now. At least they ended up together."

Nariko frowned, before looking straight into Link's eyes. "We will stop the heartless. I cannot let anything more be destroyed by those creatures."

"I know we will." Link smiled. "Anyway, enough about me. Tell me about you, and your people. This place is quite beautiful."

"Very well. Long ago, before my time, and even my father's time, there was a great war on earth. There was an evil king who sought complete dominance over these lands, and even went as far to try and wipe everyone out. When all seemed lost, a heavenly warrior descended from the sky, carrying a magnificent weapon that is said to have been forged by the gods themselves. The warrior used this weapon to defeat the evil, and once his task was done, he vanished and left behind this sword. Many men killed each other over this weapon, so my clan took on the duty of keeping it out of the hands of men. We travelled as nomads, changing places during each calendar cycle. It was written that 23 years ago, in the year of the fire-horse, a deity would be reborn in the body of a mortal man. A saviour, destined to take up the sword and unite our people and lead us to the Promised Land. Instead, I was born from my mother's dying body. My people wept, and they told me that I was a portent of doom. I had singlehandedly destroyed their prophecy, and taken out their beloved leader. Part of me believes that my father will never forgive me for that… He raised me as a teacher first, and father second. I grew up as an outcast, forever remembered as the one who would destroy our clan. But now that my clan is gone, it falls to me to keep this weapon out of the clutches of evil."

Link sat silently, taking in everything that had been said to him. "Nariko, I'm sorry. Your life must have been hard."

She looked down at her feet. "It was."

Link patted Nariko on the shoulder, and they went inside. Aqua and Navi were already working together to prepare dinner, which made Link smile. Zelda was lying on her bed, taking in the paintings on the ceiling. She sat up as soon as she heard Link and Nariko re-enter the room.

Zelda bounced over to the two of them. "Nariko! I've been waiting for you to come back, so you can explain the paintings to me." She said, pointing straight at the ceiling.

Once dinner had been cooked, they all sat together and listened to Nariko's retelling of how her clan came to be in possession of the Heavenly Sword. Everyone, even Link who had already heard it, listened intently to the story. After the story, Link revealed the chocolate he had taken from Haurum, and made hot chocolate for everyone. It was a pleasant evening, after which everyone retired early.

Zelda lay awake for some time. She knew that there was still something Nariko wasn't telling them. She just hoped that it wasn't something that could put them all in danger.


	11. Chapter XI: Mist

**A/N: Please read and review! Many thanks, kind people!  
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**CHAPTER XI: THE MIST**

The sun was only just peering into the depths of the valley when Nariko woke up everybody. There was a thick layer of mist encroaching over the village, setting an ominous feel for the day.

Nariko frowned. "This mist… It is unnatural. Such a thing has never been seen by my clan. I do not like it."

"I'm sure we'll be fine, don't worry about it!" smiled Link. "Who's cooking breakfast?"

Everyone turned to face Link at the exact same time. "YOURS!" they all shouted in unison.

Link tried to pawn the cooking duties off onto someone else, but had no success. He sighed and accepted defeat, before asking Nariko if there was anything around here that he could use. She pointed him in the direction of the stores where the villagers kept all their food, telling him that there should be a large sack of oats and dried berries.

Link shivered as he felt the chilly air of the valley hit his skin. He turned back to look inside, his face indicated that he did not want to go out in the cold. He walked along slowly, appreciating in the quietness the morning had offered him. Had Link been paying more attention, he may have noticed that there was no noise at all.

He picked up his pace when he noticed that the mist was beginning to creep up behind him. "How far is this place?" he said to himself. The mist was catching up to him now, and as soon as it touched him he knew that Nariko was right in saying it was unnatural. Something solid grabbed Link and threw him to the ground. He did not expect to be attacked in the village, so he could do little but raise his hands to break his fall. He landed at such an angle that his wrist became sprained, and it sent a surge of pain up his arm. He summoned the master sword and tried to fight back, but he did so in vain. His attacks passed through the mist which struck him down once more. Seeing no point in trying to fight whatever was in the mist, he sprinted the rest of the way to the storeroom and shut himself inside.

He relaxed, and allowed his breathing to calm before he looked around for the food that Nariko had suggested. He rummaged through all the sacks and crates before he at last found what he was looking for. He lifted the sacks over his shoulders and was about to march out the door, when the mist returned through a large hole in the roof. He was knocked to the side, before being picked up again. The mist was creeping up his body and Link could feel it squeezing his limbs before it came up to his neck. Soon it had enveloped his whole head before forcing its way down his throat. He could not move any part of his body, nor could he call for help. He was stuck against the wall, being silently choked to death. He had begun to feel dizzy, the lack of oxygen causing him to see stars. He listened to see if anyone was coming for him, but heard nobody.

'_I… have been defeated.' He thought. 'By mist! Of all the things, it is mist that defeated me.'_

He was ready to close his eyes, when he remembered the dream he kept having on Skyloft. He could feel the darkness reaching down his throat, and was about to be suffocated by it… Link focused the last of his will into his mark. The mist was pushed away from him, and he dropped to the floor coughing heavily. Once he had recovered from the attack, he once again picked up the sack of goods he needed for breakfast. He raised his Triforce hand in front of him which cast an aura of golden light in front of him. He stepped out and watched as the mist rapidly moved away from wherever he shone his light. He moved fast on his way back, eager to get out of the open and back to the safety of their camp.

* * *

><p>Zelda was beginning to worry. "I wonder what's taking so long…"<p>

When Link hadn't returned after another ten minutes, Zelda got up to leave and go look for him. Nariko stopped her and said that she would go herself, because she was the one who suggested that he go alone. Zelda hesitated, but agreed when Aqua pointed out that Nariko would be better to look for him because she knew the paths well.

More time had passed without a sign of Link or Nariko. Zelda got up and walked to the door, telling Aqua that she was going to look too. She had her hand on the doorknob when Link opened it himself. He quickly shut the door behind him and dumped the sack on the ground.

"There's… something in the… mist." He panted.

Zelda gasped. "Something in the mist? Nariko is out there looking for you! She could be in danger! Link, we have to do something!"

Link barely had time to catch his breath before he heard Epona panicking outside. The mist was rapidly expanding, and soon enough it shrouded everything from view. Link could only see two feet in front of him.

"Stay close! If the mist gets close, use your Triforce to repel it!"

The girls obeyed his order and followed him through it. He found Epona and freed her, and had Aqua stand behind Epona while they walked so that she could keep the mist away. They all called for Nariko, but there was no response. Link led them down the path he had walked this morning, hoping that Nariko would be somewhere nearby.

Zelda grabbed Link's arm and squeezed. "Look Link! Over there!"

Link looked in the direction she was pointing and saw Nariko's long red hair on the ground. They rushed over and found her unconscious. They gathered around her body to heal her, and she awoke in a coughing fit.

They pulled her to her feet and made sure she was okay before they continued running. The mist had gotten so thick that they could not even see each other, so Zelda tried a different approach to clearing the mist. She summoned her bow, and charged up a huge bolt of light. She released it in front of her, and it cut a path cleanly through. They ran all the way back to the sanctuary and shut themselves inside.

Nariko was pacing up and down the hall. "Something has to be creating all this mist. When we woke this morning, I knew it was far too quiet and I am certain that whatever is creating this haze is responsible for silencing the valley."

"Maybe we should just have a rest, and try and wait it out and see if the mist leaves?" suggested Link.

Nariko was about to reply, but Zelda interjected. "No, Link. This mist will not simply 'go away' like you hope. The heartless do not just 'go away,' they are always going to be hunting as and anyone else with a heart. Now is not the time to have a rest, I cannot believe you even suggested that!" she snapped.

Link was shocked by Zelda's sudden outburst, so he turned to Aqua to see what she thought they should do.

Aqua raised her arms in protest. "Don't ask me, I don't want to decide."

Nariko, who had been in silent thought, spoke again. "Link, when you went to fetch our food earlier, what direction was the mist coming from?"

"Um, south I guess. Let me think… I stepped out the door, and it was coming from the path on the right."

"The waterfall. It must be coming from there, it is the only place near here with enough water to create all this mist. Let's go, now." Said Nariko, already heading for the exit.

"Wait!" Link patted his grumbling stomach. "Can't we at least eat, first? I'm starved…"

It was clear that Nariko did not want to waste more time, but she nodded. Link used the berries and oats to create a sweet and delicious porridge. Eating it seemed to relax everybody, and with their bellies pleasantly full, they walked out into the daunting mist with higher hopes than before.

Link, Zelda and Aqua were all using their marks to repel the mist, but it was getting so thick that it began to put a strain on them. They pushed on, and seeing each of them working hard caused each of them to push themselves even harder. By the time they reached the waterfall, they were all quite tired. They huddled together in a circle so they could discuss their next move. Before anything was said, a huge black tentacle snaked its way around Link's midsection and tossed him into the air. He was sent screaming, and Aqua reacted instantly by summoning her glider and shooting up to catch him. The mist was still so thick that she almost missed him entirely, but managed to catch him by his belt. The glider stuttered in the air for a bit and soon became accustomed to the extra weight.

Back on the ground, Zelda had already summoned her bow and was shooting hundreds of arrows in rapid succession at the beast. She looked for a sign to let her know that she had hit her mark, but nothing came. She attempted to hit it again but to no avail. Nariko, however, was standing motionless at the edge of the water. She waited, and when another tentacle was shooting towards her, she sidestepped and brought down the heavenly sword in a mighty strike. It cut cleanly through the tentacle, and a shrieking noise came from somewhere out in the water. Zelda aimed her attacks at the noise and shot another fully charged beam, this time the arrows made it to their mark. Link and Aqua descended next to her, with Aqua remaining in the armour her Keyblade created for her.

Zelda tried to mimic the actions of Nariko, but nothing came to attack her. Instead, another tentacle tried to creep up on Nariko again. This time, it tricked her by going towards her head but quickly aiming lower and both of Nariko's legs were taken out from beneath her. The sharp spines running along the tentacle made a huge gash in her thigh causing her to cry out in pain, but she shook it off and face the water, sword at the ready. Her blood ran down her leg and dripped into the ground leaving a bright red stain that was visible even through the mist. The pain in her leg seemed to fill her entire body until it overcame her.

She dropped to her knees, crying out in an extremely pained noise. While they were watching Nariko, several tentacles flew into the Triforce bearers and knocked them away. Two more tentacles were hurtling towards Nariko, who was still downed. They could do nothing to protect her… But then, just as the tentacles were about to rip her apart, she broke the Heavenly Sword in two, revealing it's alternate form once more. She swung upwards and let the chains of the sword wrap around the tentacles, and once she felt them grab, she pulled them upwards as hard as she could. Whatever was attached to the tentacles was being pulled out of the water, and Nariko was doing it all alone. Link, Zelda and Aqua ran over to help her pull, and with one last big heave, the heartless came out of the water.

It was giant mass of shadow, with almost no form. There were many black tentacles protruding from it, each one exhibiting the same twitchy movements common among all heartless. The centre of it was shrouded in mist which rendered it impossible to see its true appearance. The heartless danced through the air at incredible speeds, before coming back to face the challengers.

Zelda wasted no time in attacking it. As soon as it was open for attack, she used her bow again to deliver several powerful shots at the beast, which caused it to try and grab her. It flew behind her before anyone could react, and lashed out at her back with a sharp spine. It cut through her thin dress and sliced her back open. Zelda collapsed on the ground, and began to shake with pain.

"Aqua! Heal her NOW!" screamed Link.

Link was filled with such a rage at the heartless for hurting Zelda, and he let it take over him completely. He himself began to glow, and the air around him began to hum with energy. Link's eyes became purely white light and his mark was glowing with the same intensity as well. He flew toward the beast with speed to match its own, and plunged his sword right into the centre of the tentacles. All at once, the mist dispersed, and the creatures' form was revealed. It had the same beady yellow eyes as the giant heartless that had attacked Skyloft. Beneath they eyes was a huge gaping mouth with hundreds of sharp fangs, each one covered in something that looked strangely reminiscent of blood. Link dislodged his sword from the centre of the beast's forehead and swung down again, this time cutting off three tentacles in one blow. Link could hear Nariko shouting something at him, but could not make sense of it.

"LINK! LOOK OUT!" she screamed.

Out of the corner of his eye, Link saw Nariko trying to hit something behind himself. Whatever it was, she had missed. Link fell out of the air, writhing in pain. The tentacle that had been severed by Nariko at the start of the battle had launched itself at Link, and used its sharp spines to lodge itself in his back. It was trying to kill him by pumping the dark essence that heartless were made of into his blood. Link landed in the shallows of the water, and was trying to pull the end of the tentacle out of his back. He couldn't reach it, and each movement seemed to be weaker than the last. Eventually, he ended up crawling out of the water towards Zelda, reaching out for her. Aqua, who was still working on healing Zelda's back inside the shell of her protect spell, lowered it just for a moment to allow Link inside. She summoned her Keyblade, and swung it as hard as she could at the heartless that clung to Link's back. She succeeded in striking it, but it took a large chunk of Link's back with it. He began to cough up blood, and his eyes slowly started closing. Aqua did her best to try and heal him, but she feared that she had merely delayed the inevitable. Zelda sat up, and told Aqua to go help Nariko who was still out there fighting the monster by herself. Aqua nodded and went to join Nariko. She resealed Link and Zelda inside the protect field, and jumped on her glider.

Zelda placed her hands over Link's wound, and concentrated with all her might. His skin began to reform, as did the muscle tissue beneath it. Link was lucky that he had the power of the Triforce on his side; without it, the darkness would have killed him instantly.

Aqua flew over Nariko and held out her hand. "Here, quickly! Come up with me, and use that chain thing you do! Aim for its mouth!"

Nariko heard Aqua's call and jumped up with her arm outstretched. Aqua used the speed she had built up behind her to carry Nariko right toward the heartless. Nariko let go, and threw all her strength behind her next swing of the Heavenly Sword. The chains extended, and the blades pushed all the way through the mouth of the heartless and came out the back. Nariko spun it around and flung it towards Aqua, who was hovering on her glider with her Keyblade at the ready. She struck the beast hard, and it was launched into the sky. It began to fall back down, but before it could come close, a brilliant bolt of light cut straight through it. Aqua turned to see Zelda holding her bow in the air. Chunks of heartless and tentacle rained down from the sky, before dissipating into the disgusting black goo that all heartless were made of.

Aqua and Nariko rushed over to Zelda, who was kneeling over the unconscious body of Link. She was using all of her power to heal him, but he did not wake. Aqua used her healing powers too, and Link's eyes fluttered open. He was barely aware of his surroundings, but he was relatively okay considering the circumstances. They shared a brief respite, before the waterfall parted down the centre, revealing the next Keyhole. Zelda helped Link to his feet, and they walked over to it. When they got close, they found that the water supported them and stopped them from sinking below. Aqua ran over to the Keyhole, hoping to at last see her friends from home.

They were not there. Aqua began to weep, and feared the worst – that they had already become heartless, and that she would not ever be able to see them again.

Zelda came over to her side, and squeezed her hand. "Aqua… You'll find your friends. I know it."

Aqua looked at Zelda's eyes, and saw that she was telling the honest truth. It warmed Aqua to see Zelda with such hope and strength. She thought Zelda looked a little bit like Link when she smiled like that. Behind her eyes was true happiness.

Nariko approached the Keyhole with great caution. She had not seen anything like it. The swirling darkness revealed nothing to her, and was about to turn away when something caught her eye.

Nariko called out to her sister. "Kai!"

Zelda, once sure that Aqua was okay, came to comfort Nariko. "She cannot hear you in that place…"

"Where is she! Will she be okay? I worry so much for her; she has already seen enough horror in her life…"

"Do not fear, Nariko. My father is trapped there too, and if I know him, he is probably trying to watch over everyone. Trust me, she is safe." Even though Zelda doubted her own words, they seemed to ease Nariko's pain.

Zelda raised her hand, and beckoned for Link and Aqua to do the same. Aqua helped Link to the Keyhole, and they all raised their marks to it. The same warm light from the first Keyhole expanded all around them, before flying into the Keyhole. There was a light clinking sound, and then the Keyhole vanished. Without the magic of the Keyhole to hold them up, they toppled into the water. Link had expended the last of his energy sealing the Keyhole and fell unconscious again. They all swam to shore, with Nariko carrying Link on her back.

Epona, Link's ever-faithful steed, had sensed her Master's need for help. She galloped over to him, and nuzzled her head against his. He did not respond, which caused Epona to become distressed. Zelda calmed her down, and then they placed Link gently onto Epona's back. Zelda mounted her, and pleaded for her to listen to them. Epona knew that it was the only way to help Link, so she temporarily allowed Zelda into her mind.

Nariko suggested that they leave the valley immediately. With the heartless gone, all manner of dangerous creatures would return, and they were in no state to fight. They returned to the sanctuary and collected all of their things. Aqua went with Nariko to the food stores to bring back whatever they could carry on their journey, which, unfortunately, was not much. The only things they could find were two bags of dried apricots and a bag of fried meats. There were also several piles of mixed nuts, but they did not take them. Aqua thought she had heard Link mention that he could not eat them. Better safe than sorry, she explained.

Once Epona was all saddled and ready to go, Nariko helped Zelda get Link back up onto the horses back. The paths out of the valley were actually quite easy to navigate, according to Nariko, with there being no thin paths or crumbling rocks. She was right, and Zelda led Epona onwards, with Nariko close behind and Aqua hanging back on her glider.

It was starting to get dark when they had finally made it out of the valley, and Zelda looked back and saw one of the most beautiful things of her life. The sight reminded her of being home at Skyloft, looking down of the edge to the clouds below. She never would have imagined places like this on the surface, and she was glad she was wrong.

They walked a little further, until they were completely clear of the valley. Nariko found a nice, wide open space amongst some trees that provided enough shelter to protect them from the rain, and the morning sun. Aqua and Zelda set up their tents expertly, having done it quite a few times now, but Nariko was struggling. Aqua rushed over to help, and Nariko almost refused. She eventually let go of her pride issues, and within minutes, all the tents were set up, and they were eating their dinner around a warm fire.

"I was really afraid, today. Not when I was hurt, but when Link… we almost lost him back there."

Aqua smiled at Zelda. "But, we didn't. If Link were awake right now, I'm sure he'd be telling you not to look at the 'what if,' but to look at the 'what is' instead."

"You know… you're right." Zelda smiled, before pulling Aqua into a hug. "Thanks."

Aqua made a small choking noise. "No problem. Can you let me go now? I can't breathe."

Nariko chuckled. "I think I will enjoy your company. I've not had a friend apart from my sister for my entire life."

They all smiled at each other and finished their food. Once their hunger had been sated, it gave way to their feelings of tiredness. They all headed straight for their tents after checking on Link. He was sound asleep, a slight smile on his face.

"I don't think I've ever seen a person smile in their sleep before." Said Aqua. "Night everyone!"

* * *

><p>Link woke up the next morning to the screams of Aqua and Zelda. He quickly put on his shirt and dashed out of his tent. He was expecting heartless, or some other kind of monster.<p>

Not a stark naked man, passed out in front of the fire.


	12. Chapter XII: A Royal Bastard

**A/N: I hope that you enjoy the introduction of this new character... I know that he is beloved by many, so I hope that I do him justice! Peace out everybody, and please, read and review! Thanks :)  
><strong>

**CHAPTER XII: A ROYAL BASTARD**

Link stood frozen for a few moments. Nariko came out of her tent too, gripping the Heavenly Sword tightly. Nariko dropped her sword and turned away, ashamed of what she was seeing.

"Someone cover him up!" shrieked Zelda.

Link pulled off the cover of his tent and wrapped it around the body of the naked man, being extra careful not to touch… anything. The man smelt like he had been rolling in his own sick, followed by mud and then perhaps more of his own vomit. He tried to shake the man awake, but he wouldn't respond.

Link looked up at the three women who were watching him. "Someone get me some water, please."

Nariko handed him a bottle of water and stepped back as far as she could as soon as it was in his hands. Link splashed it all over the man's face, who gasped before sitting bolt upright.

The man screamed and looked around. He saw four strange people he had never met in his life, all looking at him with wide eyes. "What..?"

The young man, who had ears like an elf, spoke to him first. "We woke up this morning to find you lying by the fire, unconscious. And without any clothing."

"Urgghh… my head." It was throbbing, and the intensity of it made him want to throw up again. He leaned over to do so, but nothing came out. He just retched a couple of times before wincing in pain. The group of people standing around him were still watching him curiously.

The woman with the long red hair seemed angry, and turned away from him. "He reminds me of times when people in my clan drank too much sake at a celebration… Though I've not seen anyone in such a poor condition. He is disgusting."

The girl with short blue hair spoke next. "Oh, the poor thing! He looks lost. We should help him."

The girl with the long golden hair came to his side, and gently placed one hand on his head, and the other on her stomach. Warmth spread throughout his body, and he could feel the sickness leaving him.

Once the sickness was completely gone from him, he thanked the young woman. "May I ask your names?"

The young elven man introduced himself as Link.

"I'm Aqua, and this is Zelda." Aqua pointed to the tall angry woman. "And she is Nariko. Who are you?"

"Oh! Yes… uhh… I'm Alistair. Have you seen my pants?"

Link looked around the camp, but found nothing. "Nope. I might have something you can wear, but it will be a bit small."

Link went to his tent and pulled out a pair of light pants and a shirt that he often slept in when it was hot. "You should probably bathe before putting these on. They're dirty… but you are dirtier." He handed them to Alistair, who walked off into the bushes to the pool of water nearby. He dropped the tent cover to the ground and put his foot gingerly into the water. It was freezing cold, but it would have to do. Aqua had given him some of her soaps which smelt extremely feminine, though he supposed it was better than smelling like an unclean tavern. While he wiped himself down, for some reason he felt as though some of his bitter thoughts about his old friends were washing away too. Sure, he had been betrayed by the one person he thought he loved, but these people… seemed different. Even the scary one with the giant sword.

Alistair knew what he had to do, and what he wanted to do. He was going to join the people who had helped him, and try and return the favour in any way he could. He hoped that if he did so, he would be able to fully overcome the hurt that his other friends had caused him. Alistair got out of the water, and was about to march back into the camp when he realised he still was not wearing any clothing. He picked up the clothes Link had given him and put them on.

The pants ended above his ankles, and the shirt was almost stretched to breaking point. All the battles he had faced while wearing heavy armour had given him quite a bit of musculature, which was even more prominent in the tight clothing.

When Alistair returned with his tent cover, Link was expecting to be throwing it out. He was pleasantly surprised to find that Alistair had taken the time to wash it for him. He hung it out over a tree so that it could dry, before offering Alistair a plate of dried fruits that they had taken from the valley. Alistair looked around and noticed that it was only Link and Aqua waiting for him at the camp. Link said that the others were out collecting wood for the fire that night.

Link shuffled over on the log he was sitting on and indicated for Alistair to take a place next to him. "So, Alistair. What brings you out here?" Link smiled.

Alistair thought hard about the day before as his memory was still hazy because of the night before. "Well, honestly, the last thing I can remember is running away from a flock of birds that were swooping me. And we all know swooping… is bad."

"Why were you running from the birds, and how come you smelt so bad when we had found you?" said Aqua, who seemed very interested in the man.

"I… was drunk. Extremely drunk. Something happened to me… It ruined me. I chose to head to the nearest tavern and drink the memories away."

Link sensed the sadness in Alistair's voice and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Alistair smiled sadly. "I'd rather not… the wound is still fresh, and I don't want to poke at it just yet."

Link stood up and breathed in deeply. "Okay then! It's a new day, and there is a lot for us to do. I think the most important thing right now is that we find you something better to wear. Do you know where the nearest place with some shops is?"

"Erm… If I'm remembering correctly, there is a town not too far from here. It's about two day's worth of walking, to the north of the valley."

"Very well then. We shall leave for the town tonight!"

Zelda had returned to the camp with a scowl on her face. "No we will not. You should at least rest a little bit more, your back has barely recovered!" Nariko followed closely behind her, carrying a large bundle of sticks.

"Zelda, I feel fine! Don't worry about it."

Her expression was one of anger and concern. "You had a chunk of your back ripped off and were pumped with poison that would have killed a normal man, but left you on the brink of life and death. There is no way that you are fine."

Link was about to argue back when he saw Nariko shaking her head at him, signalling that he should not press the issue with her. He trusted that Nariko had a good judgement, so he dropped it.

"We will set out tomorrow after lunch." He looked at Zelda to see if she approved.

She frowned, but agreed, knowing that it was too dangerous for them to stay out in a place like this for too long. Because they wielded the power of light, the heartless would be constantly drawn to them, attempting to snuff out the last great enemy that they had.

There was an awkward silence after that, when no-one knew what to say next. Nariko mumbled something about going off to train, and Aqua was going to re-fill their water supply. It was only Link, Zelda and Alistair left behind, and it got even more awkward when Zelda asked Link to take his shirt off.

"What?" said Link, looking surprised.

"Your shirt, take it off and I'll finish healing your back for you."

Link went bright red in embarrassment. He gingerly peeled off his top and tossed it to the ground. Zelda motioned for him to lie across her lap on his stomach. He obeyed, and Alistair watched on with a mild curiosity. Zelda placed her hands on Link's back, who winced at the touch. It was obviously still very tender, the pink flesh of the scar looking as if it were going to tear at any moment. Zelda visibly relaxed herself, and exhaled slowly. Light flowed from her fingertips and covered the area on Link's back that was damaged. The skin seemed to grow and thicken where she touched him, and shortly after she removed her hands from his back. The scarring was much more faint, but still clearly visible. Alistair shuddered to think what could have caused such damage to the young man.

Link stood up and walked over to pick up his shirt, and Alistair couldn't help but notice the elf's slim physique and the way his muscles moved as he walked. He saw Zelda admiring Link too, who remained blissfully unaware of his viewers. Link pulled his shirt over his head and when he did so, Zelda and Alistair made eye contact and quickly looked away from each other, covering their blushing faces from Link.

He sat back down next to Alistair and smiled. "I feel so much better now… thanks!"

Alistair looked amazed, he'd seen others use magic to heal, but what Zelda did was something on a whole other level. "How… did you do that!"

Zelda gave Alistair the short version of the Triforce story, and how their powers came to them. He listened and save for the occasional gasp or 'and then!,' he did not speak at all. He sat rapt in wonderment even after she had finished retelling all the events that led up to meeting him.

"Wait… I remember hearing something about a Keyhole at the party camp! Morrigan was reading something that belonged to her mother. Her and the Warden…" Alistair's voice hitched as he said that word. "They were looking for a Keyhole. They needed to cross the sea, and head to the throat of the world where a keyhole lay dormant. Morrigan… believed that a door to darkness resided there."

Zelda's interest had been piqued, and she hoped that Alistair could reveal more about the locations of any Keyholes.

Alistair sighed. "I only know that there are seven of them. Morrigan intended to travel through one of them to the Dark Realm…"

Zelda could see that the people he had mentioned were a sore spot for him, so she made a mental note to avoid bringing them up as much as possible. "So, we've sealed two, and we know that one of them is across the sea. Impa also mentioned that there was one out in the ocean, and that if we were looking for it, it would eventually come to us. That leaves three more for us to find."

Link jumped up from his seat and turned to face Alistair. "This Morrigan and her Warden… do you think she would know where the rest of them are? If we found her, do you think that we could steal whatever she was reading?"

Alistair cringed again, especially when Link referred to the Warden as 'Hers.' "I uhhh… don't think that is a good idea. Morrigan is a witch, and she might turn us into... um… toads."

Aqua had returned, carrying four filled bottles of water. "Toads! Gross!"

"What took you so long?" asked Link.

"I was going to go to the pond that isn't too far from here, but something-" she indicated heavily towards Alistair "- made it extremely dirty."

Alistair smiled sheepishly. "Your soaps were very nice, by the way. Thank you!"

"No problems, except next time, try not to bathe in the water we use to drink. Though I suppose we should have told you in the first place."

Link and Zelda had been talking quickly between each other, deciding what they should do next. Nariko still had not returned, so they waited for until they spoke their minds to everyone. While they waited, Alistair spoke about his life before they had met him. He told of grand adventures across his home country of Ferelden, fighting monsters that sounded a lot like the demons of the stories in Skyloft. Zelda suspected that the world was far more connected that she had initially thought. Morrigan kept cropping up throughout Alistair's story, and in one particularly alarming recount Alistair had said that Morrigan asked the Warden to kill her mother.

Link was on the edge of his seat, enthralled by Alistair's tale. "And did he do it?"

"Kill Flemeth? Oh, he tried to. Whether or not Flemeth actually died, I will never know. That's assuming she can die, too."

Zelda was about to ask him about something else, when Nariko came sprinting into the camp.

"H-Heartless!" She panted. "Big!"

Link, Zelda and Aqua all jumped up and brandished their weapons. They were about to run off, when Link stopped and went over to Alistair.

"Stay here. Protect the camp. If anything comes for you, call for me and I will return as quickly as I can."

"Got it."

Link was about to join the others when the heartless Nariko was talking about came smashing through the trees. It was a great behemoth of a creature, and it was covered in a dark purple, almost black, fur. Each step of its massive feet caused a minor tremor in the ground, and where its feet touched, anything that was growing became rotten. It had three giant horns on its forehead, the two outer ones were curved and the one in the centre was straight and covered in a mist of dark power.

Aqua threw her Keyblade at the heartless and struck it in its face. It seemed unaffected by the attack and continued on its path of destruction towards Nariko.

She dodged out of the way of an attack. "I tried to fight it off, but I couldn't do anything!"

The beast roared and stamped its feet, getting ready to charge. Nariko dodged again at the last moment, barely escaping impalement on one of the horns. Link jumped up the behemoth's back leg and clung to its fur, clawing himself upwards and onto its back. He was almost shaken off, but he jammed his sword into its back and held on tightly.

The beast shot little torpedoes of darkness from its horn and into the air, which went straight up before homing in on Link. He used his shield to deflect most of them, but too many came at once for him to block. One of them got through and hit him square in the chest which caused him to become paralysed. The monster bucked him off, and was about to hit the ground hard, but Alistair caught him. He moved Link out of danger before picking up the sword and shield Link had dropped. The sword seemed to vibrate in his hands, feeling as if it were trying to rip itself out of his grasp. He gripped the sword even tighter, but it simply melted out of his hands and returned to Link.

Alistair looked down at his empty hand with a shocked expression. "What?"

Zelda, who had been trying to hurt it with her light arrows, came to his side. "The sword can only be used by Link. It will always return to his hands if someone else tries to take it from him!"

Alistair and Zelda had to dive out of the way to avoid the incoming charge. The behemoth ran straight into a tree, and its centre horn became lodged into it. Aqua had followed Link's lead and clambered onto the beasts back. She hacked away at it with her Keyblade but did very little damage to its hardened exterior.

Navi, who hadn't spoken for quite a while, flew straight out of Link's cap and hovered next to Aqua's ear. "Attack its horn! That is what is protecting it!"

The creature was bouncing around too fast for Aqua to get a good hit on it, and Zelda could not aim fast enough.

Navi cursed herself for not being able to help. She racked her brain for anything that she could do, until she remembered a chant that might be able to help.

Navi touched Aqua's Keyblade and began her chant. "Thine Key of truth, fly swift and sure, that evil die, and good endure!"

The Keyblade became enveloped in a blue light, similar in shade to that of Navi. She directed it straight to the horn of the heartless and it split the horn in two. The beast roared with pain and went into a blind rage, but Nariko sensed the opportunity to do further damage, so she waited until the behemoth came straight at her, before swinging down with the full might of her sword and wedging her blade in the split. She pushed harder, and felt a wet crunch before the blade pushed through and met soft flesh. Nariko was showered in gore that looked and smelled as though it had been rotting for weeks.

The flesh of the beast begun too bubble and twitch, before melting away. Where the behemoth had died was a rotten bull corpse. Link was released from paralysis the moment the beast was killed, so he went over to examine the remains.

He poked the corpse with his sword, and part of it caved in and revealed more maggot infested flesh. "What is this? Zelda?"

Zelda came to his side, but only glanced at the dead animal. "What we just fought… I think the heartless have found a way to control living things, although it isn't perfect. This looks as though it has been dead for quite a while, so I can only assume that once the darkness takes over, the host begins to die." She looked away again, repulsed by the sight of the rotting flesh.

Before they could discuss things any further, Nariko dropped to the ground with a gasp of pain. Everyone rushed to her side, but she got back up on her knees. The inscriptions running along the blade of the Heavenly Sword were glowing red, and Zelda swore she saw the same writing moving across Nariko's skin.

Zelda placed both hands on Nariko and attempted to heal her. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." She said, while swiping away Zelda's hands. "I'm just tired."

Nariko stood up and fixed her tent. She put the Heavenly Sword on the ground beside her and closed her eyes. Zelda had noticed that the sword was a little further away from her than usual.

Zelda frowned with concern, but trusted Nariko enough to tell them what was going on as soon as she was ready.

Link clapped his hands loudly and cheered. "Did you guys see Navi? That was amazing! She was all like 'evil die and good endure!' and the Keyblade was all like 'whoosh!' and then BAM!"

Aqua was smiling too. "Yeah Navi, you really saved us before…"

"It's all in a days' work!" Navi was buzzing around excitedly, clearly feeling elated by the praise she received.

Alistair, who was still holding Link's shield, handed it back to him. "We might want to find somewhere that I can re-equip myself. I'm not bad at fighting; I just need a weapon that won't run away from me."

Link had decided to put a hold on their planning until tomorrow morning, when everyone was awake. Instead, he chose to sit down and find out more about their newest friend. "So, Alistair. You said that Flemeth could turn into a dragon?"

"Yes, that is what I was told. That was one fight I'm glad the W- I'm glad I was left behind for. If it wasn't for Wynne and her healing magic, I dare say they wouldn't have lasted very long."

By the time Alistair had told most of his stories, it had gotten quite late into the afternoon. Alistair's stomach growled loudly, which startled Aqua who was sitting next to him. He realised that he had not eaten all day, which only made him feel hungrier. "Um… Don't mean to be a pain, but what are we eating?"

Link went over to their packs and pulled out a bunch of vegetables and some dried meats. "This."

Alistair wrinkled his nose at the food, particularly unhappy with the poor quality of the meat. "If only that bull was a little fresher…" He began to drool at the thought of eating a huge hunk of beef, a meal he hadn't enjoyed for a long time. Alistair looked even more shocked as he realised the amount of food Link had retrieved was meant to be divided amongst them all.

Link, Zelda and Aqua all looked satisfied after their food, but Alistair's stomach was still growling. Link offered to go fishing with him until dark to try and catch him some more things to eat. Alistair happily agreed, and the two of them set off into the woods.

Zelda noticed Aqua watching Alistair's backside and giggled.

Aqua turned to her. "Why are you smiling like that? You look suspiciously like the cat who swallowed the pigeon."

"Canary."

Aqua raised her eyebrow. "What?"

"You mean I look like the cat who swallowed the canary."

"I once had a very large cat, but that's not my point. My point is, why are you giggling?"

Zelda chuckled. "You were watching him. With great interest, I might add. In fact, I believe you were...enraptured."

Aqua went bright red. "I was just making sure he wasn't hurt by the behemoth."

"Oh, I see. So what injuries did you see on his behind, hmm?"

"No no no, I wasn't looking at… you know, his… hind-quarters."

"Certainly."

Aqua's whole face was flushed. "I gazed… glanced, in that direction, maybe, but I wasn't staring… or really seeing anything even."

Zelda had a self-satisfied grin spreading across her face. "Of course."

Aqua kicked the log out from underneath Zelda, who fell flat onto her back. Aqua stuck her tongue out at Zelda who was still laughing. "I hate you. You're a bad person."

* * *

><p>Link led Alistair through the trees with surprising speed and Alistair found himself jogging slightly to keep up. Link weaved in and out of the trees with litheness and grace which was something that Alistair had a little bit of trouble replicating. Link soon stopped them, and Alistair could hear the trickling of a nearby stream. "We're almost there, Alistair. I trust that you know how to fish?"<p>

Alistair looked down at his feet. "Uh, well… not really. I never had an opportunity. There is a lot of things I've not been able to try…"

Link winked at Alistair. "There's a first time for everything! Besides, fishing isn't too hard."

They walked onwards to the flowing stream. It was crystal clear and many fish could be seen flitting about beneath the surface. Link handed Alistair a rod and showed him how to grip it tightly and correctly, causing Alistair to blush. He had no idea why.

Link picked up his own rod and walked to the water's edge. "Now, you want to swing back, but not too hard, and then cast your line out into the water. Don't throw it too hard though, your hook might hit the ground on the other side."

"Right, I think I can manage that."

The two of them spent the better part of an hour fishing, and when they were done, they returned carrying three large fish.

As they were walking back, Alistair placed his hand on Link's shoulder to stop him. "Link, do you think it would be okay if… if I stayed with you, even after we get to the town? I… I want to help you."

Link pondered on the words for a moment, considering whether or not Alistair truly wanted to join them. He realised that they would need him to find the Morrigan. "Alistair, what we are doing will be dangerous, and I don't want anyone to get hurt. Are you aware of the dangers that we will probably have to face?"

"Yes. You saw me; I took up arms against the heartless before when it attacked. I have fought many things in my past experiences, and I have knowledge of many places around here. If you let me come… I won't let you down."

Link smiled sadly. "I dunno…"

"…Please."

Link laughed. "Kidding! Of course, you're welcome to join us. It would be a nice change to have another man around. Aqua and Zelda are great friends, don't get me wrong, and Nariko is, well… Nariko, but I think that the company of another guy is better for my wellbeing. I once heard the girls plotting to take me shopping!" Link shuddered as he said that last word, as if it were a curse.

Alistair grinned widely. "Let's hurry back, I'm starving. Did I ever tell you about the appetites of the Grey Wardens?"

"Nope. This, I have to hear."

Alistair launched into a detailed description of the eating habits of the Grey Wardens. Link was amazed at the amount of food Alistair claimed to eat, and couldn't wait to see it being done for himself. They returned to camp, and sure enough, Alistair ate every last scrap of the fish that he had cooked. Link begun to yawn and suggested that they went to bed, as everyone else had already gone. Link had only just met the man, but they just felt like old friends who had not seen each other for a long time.

Alistair went to sleep smiling that night, pleased with the new friendship that had begun to blossom, and confident that he was on his right path. He decided that as soon as they got to town he would tell them his whole story, about the person that he had loved, and the person that had betrayed him.

He was going to get his revenge, and they would never see it coming.


	13. Chapter XIII: Benvenuto Amici

**A/N: Kingdoms of Amalur is really good, and it has taken up most of my time... But, here we go! Finally a new chapter, so please read and review :) thanks!  
><strong>

**CHAPTER XIII: BENVENUTO AMICI**

Link was eager to finally begin their journey into town, having high hopes that they would finally be able to meet many other people. He wanted to learn and experience their different ways of life, something that was almost impossible to do on Skyloft, as books can only teach you so much. Zelda was particularly looking forward to a nice bath and a clean bed, and she found her excitement to be hard to control. As the group went through the regular motions of packing up, it was easy to see the air of anticipation hanging between them all. Even Epona seemed to be looking forward to getting in to a town, where she could hopefully be groomed carefully.

Aqua turned to give the campsite one last look, wishing that they could have stayed there for longer. She had never been able to see places like this while she was living in her home city, and as strange as it was, she loved being away from the desert. She let the natural beauty of the area take over her, and she stood there and revelled in her surroundings.

Nariko walked up beside her. "There are such treasures to be found wherever you are. As long as you know what to look for."

Aqua smiled at the words and nodded in agreement. They both stood there for a time, before the heard Link shouting for them to catch up. Alistair found it very curious that they were all being led by a horse, but then he remembered Link explaining why Epona was special. Alistair was fascinated by everything that Link told him, and soon he was asking both Link and Zelda many questions about Skyloft, which they were more than happy to answer. Nariko was also very interested in their home, and wondered if perhaps her Heavenly Sword was somehow linked to Skyloft.

Hours passed, and the chatter did not cease. Nariko was about to ask for some silence, when she noticed that someone was watching them from the trees. Nariko made eye contact with the girl, who made a hand signal to someone off behind the trees. There were a few moments of silence, before the girl and several other armed men and women dashed out from the trees and surrounded them. The girl, who had a vicious appearance walked forward. She must be the leader of the group, Nariko thought.

Her voice was very sharp, and sounded older than she looked. "Give us all you got, I want your money not your life and if you try 'n' make a move I won't think twice!"

Alistair gasped. "Hey! That guy is wearing my stuff! And he has my sword and shield too!" He exclaimed, pointing at the man nearest to the girl.

The man snickered. "Not anymore."

The group of bandits all laughed together before being silenced by the girl. "Give us your stuff. Now."

Nariko walked right up to the bandit leader and held the Heavenly Sword out in front of her. "Do not make me use this, or I swear I will destroy you all." Nariko's words were delivered in such a way that they even made Link shudder.

"Look, lady. You are the only one armed out of your entire group. So, it is you against all of my men here. Do you really think you can win?"

Nariko answered by bringing the Heavenly Sword around in a huge arc, a blow that the girl was only able to dodge by a hairs breadth. Nariko brought the huge blade through the air with amazing speed and used the flat side of the blade to knock the girl to the ground. She cried out in pain as a few of her ribs cracked, and could only look up in terror as Nariko plunged the blade deep into her chest. Blood spurted from her mouth, and her face was frozen with fear. Two of the men with the girl had finally snapped out of their stupor and charged at Nariko, but she quickly counteracted their attack by splitting the sword and using the halves to run them through their midsection. The three remaining men made a start to run out into the trees, but Nariko used the chains of her sword to prevent one of them from escaping.

Nariko walked over to him, and called for Alistair. "You are to return all of his items to him, and I will let you go."

The man hastily removed all of his armour, and he was standing there in his underwear, clutching his pack. Nariko heard the chink of coins, and forced him to leave them with her as well. Alistair looked very pleased with being back in his own armour, even though it was quite damaged due to misuse and improper care. Alistair quickly removed his sword from its scabbard, and exhaled in relief. The blade was beautiful, with a golden hilt and a long silver blade. The inscriptions running up the blade glowed when Alistair held the blade, and he smiled. Alistair looked complete this way, and far more like the warrior of his stories.

While Alistair and Nariko were clearly accustomed to such violence, Link, Zelda and Aqua's looks of abject horror illustrated just how sheltered their previous lives had been. Nariko spared a few moments to let them calm down, before signalling to move forward. The chatter had lessened significantly since their encounter with the bandits, partly because of the shock of the sudden violence, as well as not wanting to attract more attention.

The sunlight was breaking through the treetops, casting a shadow that looked like many tiny lights moving along the ground which was another sight that Aqua was enjoying. The day was warming up quite quickly, but it never exceeded a temperature that was comfortable. After a few hours of travel, the cool breeze that was blowing through the trees carried a salty scent that was unknown to all of them, except for Alistair.

"We are almost there! I can smell it!" he spoke excitedly, and his pace quickened.

In a few short minutes, the trees began to part and give way to small thickets of grass. The earth beneath their feet had changed into sand that was very different to the surrounding areas of Aqua's home. Instead of it being coarse and gravelly, it was soft and smooth, and had a pleasant warmth to it. Link removed his boots, and allowed the sand to fill the gaps between his toes before running off ahead. Zelda and Aqua had soon joined him, only to be followed by Alistair who revelled in the atmosphere around him. Nariko cracked a smile, as watching them mess about reminded her of her sister.

"_Kai…" _she thought. _"I'm fighting for you. For your happiness."_

They rounded a corner, and the path opened out onto a majestic view of the ocean. The sun light glistened on the surface, the light so bright that it hurt to look directly at it. The horizon was magnificent, with crystal blue water meeting the bright blue sky way out in the distance. Running along the edge where the water met the land were beautiful rock faces, with many nooks and crannies that were home to lots of different creatures. Columns of rock that had broken away from the land but had not fallen in the water stood tall and majestic, and they watched in awe as an eagle swooped down off the top of one and caught a fish in the water below. The smell of the salt water seemed to coax them towards it, practically begging them to jump in and laze about in the sun.

Alistair took their attention away from the view and directed them to a patch of land that stretched out into the water. As they got closer, they could see that it was not just land, but instead a city that jutted out into the water. The rock walls were cut away to make more room for the buildings, which extended far beyond what they could see.

Alistair ran along the path, shrieking with joy about finally having some lunch. "Ooh! I hope there is cheese! I love cheese!"

Aqua ran off after him, and the two of them disappeared over the top of the hill. Nariko was hanging back, holding on to Epona's reigns, watching Link and Zelda walking together. The sunlight surrounded them, giving them a heavenly appearance. Nariko found herself smiling at the two of them. She found herself with hope, and trust, in her new friends. Link and Zelda walked onwards, and they passed from Nariko's line of sight. Just before they slipped beyond her view, she noticed that they had become silhouetted against the sunlight. The closer they walked to the light, the greater their shadows became. This troubled Nariko, and wondered if their light could truly protect them from the darkness, and prevent them from suffering the same fate that she was going to face.

They had arrived at the gates to the city, and were allowed in without any trouble. One of the guards was returning from a patrol along the paths, and happened to see them deal with the bandits, and offered them a stable for Epona as thanks. He was very admiring of Epona, and even asked for Link's permission to groom her. Epona seemed to trust the man, so he agreed to let him take her. He led them to the stables and showed Link where Epona would be staying, and Epona was visibly excited. She continuously nudged the guardsman's head, eagerly anticipating her wash. Link gave Epona a quick hug and a pat, and they left the stables.

The city was vast, and it pleased Link to see it full of people, all going about their daily business. There were children running around chasing each other, women carrying baskets full of fresh food, and men trying to sell their goods out of makeshift stalls. The buildings themselves were magnificent, and each one was joined to the next, continuing on for a great distance. They walked between the buildings and came to a canal of water that was filled with little boats, all of them making their way towards the land in the centre of the city. Aqua was about to hail for a boat, but before she could call for one, a man jumped down from the roof and yelled for them to move.

"Guardateri! Look out!" He rolled as he landed, and kept running. "Mi scusi," he shouted, as he pushed through crowds of people.

Guards were climbing out of the boats and chasing after the man. They shouted for people to stop him, but barely any reacted as it was happening so fast. The guardsmen pushed Link out of the way and ran after him, shouting in a strange language that they could not understand. After the initial shock had subsided, they shrugged it off and jumped onto a boat.

The man responsible for driving it looked up apprehensively. _"Dove vuoi andare?" _

Link and Zelda looked at each other and shrugged. Nariko remained as silent as ever, and Aqua was about to try and speak, but Alistair spoke up. "Ummm… _mi puoi… portare… al mercato? _I think that's right."

The man eyed Alistair for a while, before deciding that he accepted the answer. _"Al Mercato? Si! Eh… _My name… is a Luigi." Luigi seemed to struggle speaking those last few words, but was pleased with himself when he finished his sentence.

While his grasp of the other language was weak, it still impressed the group. Alistair smiled and his cheeks reddened as even Nariko praised him. Zelda found herself completely relaxed in the boat, and for that brief ride, her worries faded away as quietly as the rippling water. She was just about to fall asleep when the boat stopped moving. They all got off and looked around, and Alistair waved Luigi off. He threw a couple of gold pieces to him, which made his face light up with a smile.

Luigi stood up and waved heartily. _"Grazie signore!"_

Alistair walked over to the group, and they all looked out into the crowd, wondering how so many people could operate in such a small space. The market square itself wasn't small; there were just so many people rushing about trying to get the goods they needed before someone else did. Zelda made an attempt to wade through the crowd but she was pushed back by a woman shouting something that she could not understand.

Alistair turned to face the group. "Right, so I've only been here a few short times in my life, but I have learnt a bit about getting around here. We have to wait for a big enough gap, and kinda move in to the crowd as it passes. The crowd flows past ever stall, but it might take some time."

Alistair turned to the mass of people, and after a few moments he dived into the crowd. In mere seconds, he was pulled away. Link and Zelda both ran in together and they found their way to Alistair who was looking at a stall selling many beautiful scarves, all woven from the softest cloth. Alistair tossed the salesman a coin, and invited Zelda to pick one out. There was a long and white one, with a blue eagle stitched into it. The design reminded Zelda of her sailcloth, so was more than happy when Alistair bought it for her. Nariko and Aqua had caught up with them now, and they moved along from stall to stall, admiring all the different goods available to them. There was jewellery, clothing, bags and many little gifts and souvenirs. The initial excitement of the crowd had worn off for Link and Alistair, who just wanted some food. Nariko had already given up trying to navigate through the stalls and instead waited off by the corner of an alley. She was standing there silently, watching the crowd of people with contempt, when a young and handsome man wearing a fancy outfit approached her.

He edged his way to her side. _"Sei bella, signora." _He turned to face her, and moved in closer. _"Bella…"_

Nariko was angered by his sudden approach, and quickly reached up to grab his wrist. She twisted his arm behind his back, and pushed him to the ground. He hit the dirt hard, and it ruined part of his clothing. He stood up angrily, and screamed at Nariko before running off. Link and Alistair came to her side to see if she was okay, and Zelda and Aqua soon joined them. They walked down the alley to get away from the crowd and stopped when they saw two small children crouching in the corner. They were clearly malnourished, and the area they were sitting in appeared to be a makeshift home. Their tiny bodies were covered with injuries, so Zelda leant down and tried to heal them. They backed away from her and ran off further down the alley. They hid behind the legs of a man, whom they recognised as the one running from the guards earlier. He bent down and reached into the sack he was carrying, and handed them a bread roll and a piece of fruit each, before walking towards the group of them. He had his hand extended in a friendly gesture, and had a huge grin on his face.

"_Ciao, amici! _I saw you dealing with that nobleman before, my lady. You were marvellous." He made a low bow in Nariko's direction, before asking everyone's names. He smiled and bowed to each of them, before introducing himself.

He spoke with a thick accent that was so common among the people in the city. "I am Ezio Auditore da Firenze, and this is my city. _Benvenuto, amici!"_

Ezio led them down many back alleys before they finally arrived at a long path that was blocked by a large iron gate. The path wound around the side of a rock face, and led somewhere that they could not yet see. Ezio heaved on the gates, and they slowly opened, tracing their path through the gravel on the ground. Around the corner was, quite possibly, the most beautiful home that any of them had ever seen. It was half in the water and half attached to the rocky wall that had water cascading down its surface. The water at the base of the house was crystal clear, and the cut through it, creating a beautiful pattern on the bottom of the water. There were many tiny fish swimming around in schools, and they swam in and out of the different plants growing in the sand. The building itself was massive, and made out of large sandy-yellow bricks. There was a balcony that hung out over the water which was supported by large white pillars that rose out of the water. As they got closer, it was clear that there were many tiny carvings of the sun in the walls, each one smiling as it looked down. Ezio led them inside his home, and a tiny old lady walked over to greet them.

She smiled warmly at everyone, before wiping her hands on her apron. _"Mangati?"_

Ezio gave her a gentle hug and smiled. _"No, Nonna. Grazie."_

The old lady turned and left the room. Ezio explained that she was his Nonna, and even though he did not ask for food, she would bring some out anyway.

"So, I understand that this beautiful lady" – he indicated to Nariko – "has had a run in with one of the other noblemen? You had best watch yourselves out there… Some of the guards are not so accommodating to new comers. Anyway, what brings you to this city?"

They spent a while explaining their journey, which was something Link had begun to tire of. Ezio was much more of an active listener, constantly asking questions about their journey. He wanted to know things about the nature of their weaponry, how best to deal with the attacks of heartless, and most importantly, where they were headed. Link had said that they needed to cross the sea, which gave Ezio pause for a moment.

He thought hard for a while. "I think I know where we can get a boat. But you will have to help me first."

Nonna returned carrying a few plates of assorted meats, cheeses (much to Alistair's delight), and some delicious crusty bread. The little old lady seemed pleased at how eagerly the group dug into their meal. "I make-a di pasta! You all-a look hungry!"

Nonna returned to the kitchen and got to work cooking. Alistair had already eaten almost all of the food that had been brought out, which Ezio noticed, and found himself smiling about it. He liked people who knew how to eat, he would not lie.


	14. Chapter XIV:  Shady Business

**A/N: I've finally gotten around to writing this new Chapter, after having been addicted to KoA, then Origins (again), and then Mass Effect 3, and now probably DA2, and I'm kinda excited to write more again! As usual, please read and review, because I can't get better without some good constructive criticism. Thanks for reading this far! **

**CHAPTER XIV: SHADY BUSINESS**

Ezio handed Link, Zelda and Aqua their disguises that they were going to use to distract the guards. They were to lead them away and then head to the beach on the other side of the city, and find the twelve sandstone pillars. Ezio told them to wait there until sundown, so that Alistair, Nariko and he could meet them somewhere far enough away that they would be safe should anything go wrong. Once the guards were gone, he was going to sneak into the compound where the docking ledgers were kept. Their plan was to make several changes in the ledger so that the guards at the docks did not realise that anything shady was going on, until it was too late. Once that was dealt with, they were to search for any information about a carriage that was rumoured to be carrying a large amount of the current despot's gold.

Nariko seemed startled by the casual tone Ezio was talking with. "Current despot? You say that as if they're a frequent occurrence in this place."

He smiled sadly. "Yes… Unfortunately, where there are people who can be exploited, someone will always swoop in to fill that spot. What we are doing might be enough to help change that. The one we will be dealing with is, in fact, the brother of the man you were harassed by earlier. We refer to him simply as _Stronzo._"

Link, Zelda and Aqua had re-entered the room dressed in the garb of the local guardsmen, a sight that almost caused Nariko to giggle. All three of them looked very cute together, and while it was amusing, it worried her that the disguises might not actually work. Ezio pointed out that they did not need to be perfect, as they were only meant to distract the guards momentarily, giving them enough time to sneak in, or hopefully draw them away.

Ezio led them to the place where they were to put their plan in motion. Just down the road was a building with three guards standing at the door, and Ezio signalled that this was the place.

He pulled Link, Zelda and Aqua down and looked each of them in the eye. "Remember what we said. We need only a moment, and if all else fails, run with plan B."

He patted them on the shoulder and sent them off. Ezio chuckled to himself when he noticed that part of Aqua's clothing was poking out through the back of the Guard armour.

The guardsmen looked up when they saw the three of them approaching. They waved eagerly, believing that it was time for their break.

"It's about time!" said the biggest guard. "I was beginning to think that we'd never get away from here. Have fun."

As they were leaving, one of the guards patted Link on the back, the jolt causing his helmet to open.

"Wait a second! You're not one of us!" the guard shouted.

Link smiled sheepishly. "I guess not. RUN!" He slapped the guardsman on the cheek before turning away and sprinting off after Aqua and Zelda.

The guard's face turned a livid shade of red and he yelled at his companions to follow, before running after them himself.

Meanwhile, Ezio, Nariko and Alistair, who were watching from the distance, quickly closed in and entered the building. It was completely silent inside, save for the footsteps of more guards patrolling the corridors. Nothing of the city could be heard from inside, which meant that there was no noise to cover their own footsteps. They were in a large square area with pillars running up and down the entire room. On the sides of the room were doors, and straight ahead was a rather narrow hallway that quickly turned around a corner.

"Alright, if I am not mistaken, the ledger should be in a small room down – that – hallway, and in a small room," whispered Ezio.

He nodded at the two of them, before sinking back into the shadows, vanishing almost completely from sight. Nariko gracefully moved down the hall, her feet not making a single sound as they touched to the ground. Alistair, having seen the ease with which Nariko and Ezio moved noiselessly, expected it to be just as easy for him. Ezio had given him some lighter clothing to wear, as the armour Alistair was wearing prior would have made far too much noise. Alistair inhaled and gingerly stepped forward, placing his toes down first and then, very slowly, moving his next foot forward. _'Maker, this could take a while,' _he thought to himself. He tried to speed up, but found that each footstep he took became louder. Luckily, there were no guards in the immediate area, so they remained undetected.

Nariko glared at Alistair. "Will you be quiet!" she whispered angrily. "Someone will hear you. The guards we heard earlier could be anywhere!"

Ezio covered Alistair and Nariko's mouths and signalled them to be quiet. Echoing from down the hallway was the voices of two men, but they were not loud enough to know what they were talking about. Ezio motioned for them all to move down the hall, and once they had rounded the corner, the voices had become more audible. The men spoke in a language that neither Nariko nor Alistair could comprehend, so they just waited on Ezio for their next objective. It soon became clear that the guards would not be moving from the room for some time.

"_Aspetta un minuto. _Sorry. Wait here._" _Ezio seemed to glide along the floor, and soon he had vanished. Nariko and Alistair waited in silence, and a few moments later, they heard two gasps followed by a low gurgling noise. The assassin returned, and beckoned for them two come to him. The guards were lying on the ground; their lips turned a sickly green color.

Ezio noticed Alistair looking at the bodies. "Fast acting poison. Relatively quick and painless death, though I can't be sure about the second part." Alistair was reminded of an assassin he had once travelled with, though Ezio had not tried to kill him.

In a corner of the room was a large book with pages that were yellowing slightly. Ezio was poring over the pages, making several tiny changes along the way. He gave it a quick once-over to make sure that it was all correct, before turning back to the page it was on when they got there. He returned to quill and ink to their original places, and looked around for a place to hide the bodies.

Once he was satisfied that his tracks had been covered, Ezio revealed the next part of his plan. "We are to continue deeper into the building. The _Stronzo_ is moving a large amount of money, and I've reason to believe that most of it comes from his personal funds. He will want to ensure that everything is perfect, so I think he'll be riding along with the carriage. There has to be a schedule somewhere in this place, I do not think such a large group of men could be mobilised without a plan. We must find it, and when we do, we can use that information to locate and kill the _bastardo!_"

Just as Ezio had finished talking, more guards came from around the corner and began walking toward the room they were in. Seeing no safe place to hide, Ezio quickly thought up a way to get out safely.

"Alistair! Take off your clothes, quick!"

"My – what?"

Ezio glared at Alistair. "Just do it! Quickly!"

Nariko hid behind the desk and Ezio waited by the back of the room. Alistair was standing there completely naked when the guards pushed through the door. They stood in silent shock for a few seconds, not quite knowing how to react to a naked man. Those few seconds were enough for Ezio to hit each of them with a poison dart. Watching the poison take its toll was rather terrifying: the guards snapped their hands up to where the darts hit, and in a few seconds, they stopped breathing and collapsed. The efficiency with which it worked made Alistair all the more glad that he was not on the receiving end.

Ezio watched Alistair get dressed and turned away awkwardly when the other man caught him watching. Nariko cleared her throat and made eyes at the door. Ezio looked up and they all awkwardly shuffled out of the room.

* * *

><p>"Aqua! Look out, there's more ahead!" shouted Link, as he ducked under the swing of a blade.<p>

Aqua looked up two see two guards carrying heavy weaponry running straight at her. She waited until they were close before raising her protection shield. The crystal-like orb sprung up immediately, and the guards smashed into it, incapacitating all but one of them. The smallest of the three moved out of the way in time, and was only bumped by one of his comrades. The guard yelled and lunged at her with his spear, and Aqua quickly summoned the Keyblade and swatted away the attack. She forced the spear downwards until the point was in the ground, and stamped down hard, causing the pole to splinter and snap in half. Aqua picked up the half off the ground and swung around hard, and hit the man straight on top of the head. He stumbled around before finally collapsing on top the other two guards.

Zelda was ducking in weaving between the attacks of two more guards, who were beginning to swing more and more viciously, as they were getting angrier with each time their attack missed. She spun around and rolled out of the way, before jumping up behind the bigger of the two attackers. She kicked hard, and the man collapsed on the ground, writhing in pain. Zelda then sidestepped a vertical swing from the other guard, and she stuck out her foot as the man charged by, causing him to trip over. He hit the ground head first, and was knocked out cold.

The two girls both ran to Link's side, and helped him fend off the last of the guards. He had already taken out several, dodging and then bashing them with his shield.

"I can't believe-" Link ducked under an attack "-we've been able to-" he raised his shield to deflect an incoming attack "-do this without any killing!" Link let out a battle cry and charged forward, the energy from the Triforce filling his body and giving him immense strength for a short time.

The remaining men were bowled over, and the three of them ran off, heading for the shoreline. They had managed to outrun the guards at least until they made it out of the city, but as soon as the streets were replaced with wide open paths, it became a lot harder to avoid the guards, and soon enough they were surrounded and had no choice but to fight back.

The sun was high in the afternoon sky when they reached the sandstone pillars, and Zelda practically squealed as she took her shoes off, stretching her feet and letting the warm sand run over them. The water was crystal clear, with the sunlight refracting through the surface of the water and creating a beautiful pattern on the sea floor. Link ripped off his shirt, boots and shorts before sprinting into the water.

"Hey, Ladies! The water's great!" he shouted, with the biggest grin Zelda had ever seen.

Aqua was lying down on the soft sand, not very keen on setting foot in the water. "No thanks, I think I'm just going to enjoy the sun!" she shouted back.

Zelda smiled softly at Link before slipping out of her clothes and running in after him. Link sent a splash of water her way, and it hit her square in the face and causing her to slip and fall into the water. Link and Aqua both laughed, but the joy quickly turned to concern when Zelda did not resurface.

"Zelda?" said Link, as he waded over to the spot she went under.

Aqua had walked to the edge of the water, unsure of what was happening. "Is everything okay!" she called out.

Zelda had silently resurfaced behind Link, and he remained unaware of her presence. She waved at Aqua and signalled for her to be silent, who caught on just in time for Link to remain unawares.

Zelda jumped on Link's back, and tackled him into the water. Zelda emerged from the water laughing hard, and Link had a displeased look on his face.

"You really freaked me out, Zelda! Never do that again!" he snapped.

She was taken aback by his intense reaction, and did not know what to do when he stormed out of the water. While he was walking off, Link was building up energy from the Triforce. When he reached the shore, he turned around and sent a wave of water at Zelda, the force of which knocked her completely off her feet.

Zelda screamed as she was sent flying high into the sky. She spun around in the air so that she would not land head first, and swam over to Link who was in a fit of laughter. Aqua, who was still watching from the shore, finally decided to join them in the water. It looked like a lot of fun.

The three of them enjoyed their time in the sun, for they knew that the further they got on their journey, fewer chances to enjoy themselves would arise.

* * *

><p>"Ezio," Nariko whispered. "Look over there." She was pointing toward the back of the room they were in, where there was a large wooden door with ornate framing.<p>

The three of them approached the door, and Ezio peered through the keyhole. "_Le mie stelle… suo fratello è in quella stanza._"

Nariko and Alistair exchanged puzzled looks, as neither of them could understand what he had said. Ezio suddenly jumped back from the lock and urged the two of them to hide. Nariko managed to slide around the corner just in time for her to escape unseen, but Alistair lacked the finesse to pull off such a graceful move. He was squatting behind a small table that was pressed up against the wall, barely large enough to conceal his large frame.

Two men walked out of the room and slammed the door behind them, storming off straight down the hall and out of the room. Alistair sighed in relief and stood up, but as he moved his back hit the table and knocked a porcelain vase off the top. There was a loud crash as shards of the vase were sent flying in every direction, and in a few moments they were surrounded.

The man who had assaulted Nariko earlier burst out of the back room. "_Figlio di puttana!" _he shouted at Ezio. "_Muoviti!"_

All of the guards closed in on the three of them, brandishing their weapons. The Brother made a beeline for the exit, but Nariko reacted too quickly for him to escape. The Heavenly Sword lashed out with its chain whip, and the point of the blade pierced through the chest of its target. He screamed as he watched the blade slowly rescind back into his body and return to the hand of its wielder. He tried to speak, but blood just poured from his lips as he slowly fell to the ground.

"NARIKO!" screamed Alistair.

One of the guards had shoved his blade deep into Nariko's side, causing her to fall to the ground in pain. Alistair attacked the man and sliced his head off with one clean swing, before turning on the rest of them. Together, he and Ezio killed every single guard that came their way.

"Ezio, go and find what you need. I'll help Nariko, she needs it… badly."

Ezio hesitated, as he did not want to leave Alistair alone, and especially not with the injured Nariko. "_Va bene…"_

Alistair lifted Nariko up onto his shoulders with surprising ease, something that Ezio could not help but notice. They were walking very slowly, the pain surging through Nariko hindering her ability walk quickly.

As they were just about to walk out of sight Alistair turned to Ezio. "_Grazie, amico mio. Buona fortuna."_

Ezio watched as the last of Nariko's long red hair trailed out of sight. He waited there for a moment, wanting to be sure that they encountered no resistance until they were safe. Though he had not known them for a long time, or even a short time, he already felt particularly attached. Ezio delicately stepped over and around all the bodies, making his way to the room where he could only assume the details of the transfer were being kept. The inside of it was not unlike the place where the ledger for the docking fees was kept. It had the same interior design overall, but was furnished with much more expensive and detailed trappings. There was a huge armchair made of red velvet and gold painted wood sitting behind a desk of a similar design. Even for Ezio, who had been used to living with ease, the solid gold horse head that was hanging above the doorway was a bit over the top.

He shuffled through the many papers in the drawers which took him quite a while before they produced anything of importance.

He had only a few short hours to get to his friends and take them to the spot where they would be able to meet their target. They would have to time it perfectly, and Ezio knew the perfect spot where they could cut off and take control of the carriage without damaging it. He intended to take it somewhere safe so that he could offload all the funds and have them taken to the orphanage. The amount of money that they would get would be enough to keep them happy for a very long time.

* * *

><p>It was very late in the afternoon, and a few hours had passed since Link, Zelda and Aqua had arrived at the beach. Zelda and Aqua were watching with amusement as Link crafted a sandcastle of enormous proportions, the design reflecting key points of architecture around Skyloft. Link missed Skyloft more than he realised. Zelda was getting up to help too, when she heard someone calling out to them from the distance.<p>

Alistair was walking toward them, supporting Nariko who looked gravely injured. The three of them ran as hard as they could, and Link grabbed Nariko and held her so that Alistair could sit down and rest. Zelda and Aqua quickly got to work channelling healing energies into Nariko's body, and soon after, colour began to return to her face. Her breathing returned to a normal pace, and she smiled a thank you before attempting to stand up on her own. She wobbled about at first, and slapped away Link's offer of assistance, too proud to accept any more help.

Alistair had made his way to the water and was already frolicking about when the rest of them joined him. The brief respite that they shared was interrupted by Ezio, who came running toward them. They were told that they had to move fast if they were to catch the carriage and take control of it safely.

Not far from where they were sitting at the beach, was a path that lead to a small dirt road. Trees and shrubs were on each side, providing ample cover for the ambush. Ezio was waiting overhead on a thick tree branch. Nariko and Alistair were waiting on the sides, with Link and Zelda beside each of them, respectively. Aqua was lying on the middle of the road, and, hopefully, she would not need to protect herself. The _Stronzo _wouldn't just run over someone in the middle of the road, Ezio had said. He didn't sound too certain, though. It was very quiet, especially for a day like it was. There was not even a single animal making a noise, which is why it struck Zelda as odd when a raven was bouncing along the dirt, and took a strange interest in Aqua and the mark on her hand, which was glowing faintly.

She did not have time to think about it, as mere seconds after they had all taken their appropriate locations, the carriage appeared on the horizon. Aqua had readied her protection spell, but thankfully she did not need to use it. The carriage had stopped just short of her, and right below where Ezio was hidden. He dropped out from the tree and jammed his hidden blade deep into the driver's throat, and quickly pulled back up into the tree. A few moments passed, and a guard came out of the back to investigate what had caused the stop. He walked up the left side and just as he saw Aqua lying on the ground, the chains of the Heavenly Sword wrapped around him and pulled him into the bushes. There was a startled gasp, but it was quickly silenced by a wet crunching noise. Two more guards came up on each side, Nariko taking one out in the same way, and Alistair coming out from the bushes and attacking from behind.

A deep and angry voice boomed out from the middle of the carriage. "_Va fanculo!"_

The side door slammed open, and a hulking beast of a man stepped out. He was dressed from head to toe in the most ridiculous outfit any of them had ever seen, the robe a deep scarlet color with black and gold lacing. He had long dark hair that came to his shoulders, and a beard of roughly the same length. He marched with a fierceness that commanded respect out of fear, carrying his head high as though he were the greatest gift given to the world.

The _Stronzo _was stopped short of the front of the carriage by Ezio who leaped out of the tree, sticking both blades into his neck and face. He raised his hand to his throat, where he tried in vain to stop the blood from flowing. The blood matched the color of his clothes.

Ezio signalled for all of them to get up and inside the carriage. Zelda was almost sick at the sight of so much gore, with Link having to calm her down. More and more guards attacked, but the Triforce bearers remained inside the safety of the travelling compartment. The fight outside lasted for quite some time, and there was many instances where it seemed like it had ended, only for it to resume but with far more intensity.

After what seemed like a good hour, the fighting ceased completely. Nariko joined them inside, and she banged on the roof with a clenched fist. There was a crack of a whip, and the carriage picked up speed before remaining at a fast but steady pace. Nariko had the Heavenly Sword lying across her lap, and Link could have sworn that the inscriptions were glowing with a faint red colour. Zelda, too, noticed that the weapon was oddly clean, with hardly any sign that it had just recently been used to kill.

Before any questions could be asked, the cart violently lurched to the side. "Hold on! We're under attack!" shouted Alistair from outside. The cart picked up speed, bouncing up and down on the rocky surface of the road.

Aqua peered out the small window in the back of the carriage and immediately regretted it. They were speeding along the side of a cliff-face with on a road barely wide enough to fit them, with several more chasing them from farther down the road. There was a loud explosion, and the cart shook again, almost sending them careening off of the road.

"They're using bombs!" shouted Aqua.

She took in a deep breath and opened the door. Aqua had climbed onto the roof and summoned a protect barrier just in time to block more damage. The impact had almost shattered the barrier, as she had to sacrifice some of its integrity in order to make it large enough for the whole carriage. Another bomb hit, causing her protection to shatter. Aqua threw the Keyblade like a boomerang to knock another bomb off course, and caught it easily when it returned to her. The men attacking them were preparing another round of bombs, when Aqua came up with a brilliant idea.

"Ezio! Slow down, let me get closer to them!" she called back.

The sudden change of pace had caused Aqua to lose her footing slightly, which did not go unnoticed by one of the guards. He pointed and laughed as he threw a bomb, only to find his cart suddenly surrounded by a protect field. The bomb hit the top of the sphere then landed at his feet, leaving him a few seconds before it exploded, utterly destroying both the cart he was riding, as well as the one behind him. The wreckage created an effective roadblock, preventing any more people from getting through and continuing the chase. Aqua remained on the outside of the carriage in any case. It wouldn't hurt to be safe.

* * *

><p>The docks were teeming with business, merchants loading and unloading their goods, smiling as they felt the added wait to their bags of gold.<p>

"Ezio, are you sure you want to come with us? Not that we don't want you, Maker knows we could use the help, but aren't you leaving a lot behind?" asked Alistair.

Ezio smiled. "_Non prioccuparti_. My sister will take care of it. With all of that money, they won't need me, and I am fairly certain that there is not many of the _Stronzo's _loyalists left after what we did. Before I forget, Alistair, here is your armour, completely refurbished."

Alistair lit up with joy, and ran onto the ship to change into his armour. Nariko was already onboard, sitting high in the crow's nest. Her long red hair was billowing about in the wind, and from a distance, it could easily be mistaken for fire.

Ezio turned away and walked down the pier. "_Uno momento, per favore."_

He returned a few minutes later with Epona trailing behind. The horse must have been taken expert care of, because she was looking particularly radiant. Her saddle looked completely new and Link suspected that it had been completely replaced. It looked far more comfortable, in any case.

As soon as the horse saw Link, she ran over to him and nuzzled her head against his in a strong sign of affection. Navi was resting on the back of the horse, looking extremely relaxed. It was lucky that she hadn't accompanied them; the fairy would have been very disgruntled after the long and bumpy ride.

They all walked onto the ship together, and soon enough they had set sail. True to Ezio's words, once they were almost out of the bay dock workers began to realise that the ship was being stolen, many of them yelling and waving at the ship. Ezio merely laughed and waved them off.

Link did not agree with stealing the ship, but unfortunately, they did not have time to acquire one any other way.

The ship, which was named Miranda, was quite large and had more than enough room for all of them. There was more than enough food and water stored below deck, which Alistair had already discovered. Zelda often found him sampling the various cheeses that would have been meant for delivery, but due to the theft, would not ever make it to their destination.

* * *

><p>They had been travelling across the sea for almost two days, with smooth waters and bright sunny days. Nariko, who almost always stayed in the crow's nest, was the first to see the storm coming.<p>

"There's something on the horizon!" she screamed.

It was approaching at an alarming rate. Black clouds were rolling along the sky, and thunder shook the air. Something else was following the clouds, and it looked like a giant ship, much larger than the one they were currently on. Nariko jumped out of the crow's nest to find everyone. Link and Zelda had heard her cries and met her out on the top deck, and Aqua followed soon after. Ezio and Alistair had just appeared from the Captain's Cabin on the other side of the deck, when the first attack hit the ship, sending Nariko, along with the Triforce bearers, flying overboard.


	15. Chapter XV: Lost at Sea

**CHAPTER XV: LOST AT SEA**

**Link, Zelda, Aqua and Nariko**

Claps of thunder drowned out the sound of Link coughing up the icy sea water. He gasped as he looked around, panicking when he realised that he was on the deck of the ship that had attacked them. Zelda had already worked out that she could use the power of the Triforce to purge the water from her clothing, and she immediately rushed to Nariko's side to warm her up. She knelt down beside the red-haired woman and filled her hands with energy, getting to work coaxing the water from Nariko's chest. Link and Aqua, who were recovering from the sidelines, noticed something troubling, however. As Zelda got closer to Nariko, the Heavenly Sword seemed to shy away from the light in Zelda's hands.

Zelda helped Nariko up, and they all looked around. "Where's Alistair? And Ezio?"

The ship they had begun their trip on was way off in the distance, far beyond the cover of the dark cloud floating overhead.

Link ran to the edge of the ship to look for anything out in the water. "Zelda, help me look for Epona!" His eyes darted around frantically, and welled with tears when there was no sign of his horse.

Zelda wrapped her arms around him. Link turned away with a pained expression, but had no time to grieve.

Their sense of unease heightened as the area surrounding the ship began to shimmer, creating a strange shell that surrounded the entirety of the massive vessel. It was oddly silent on the inside; leading Zelda to believe that whatever was surrounding the ship was masking it from anything on the outside. Nariko suggested that they search the ship to find a means of taking control of it, to which Zelda agreed.

The group headed toward the nearest door, hoping it would lead to the deck below, when Navi emerged from beneath Link's cap. "A keyhole is near. Tread carefully… there is magic here that is unknown to me, separate from the heartless." The fairy seemed to shiver as she uttered those words, increasing the tension felt by all.

Right on cue, the Triforce marks began to glow. They were headed in the right direction; the glowing marks only got brighter as they ventured further along the dark corridor that lead below. The deeper they ventured, the darker it got and soon enough it was completely black. Fear of attack kept them moving along very carefully, and even with the light from the Triforce, the shadows around them felt like they were constantly pressing down, hindering their movements.

Link was alerted to the presence of torches that were running along the walls by way of his forehead making contact with one. He yelped in pain, the sharp metal having left a large gash. He was quick to heal his wound, leaving only a light bruise and a dull pain.

Aqua, much to the relief of her companions, proceeded to light the torches with her Keyblade. As the first torch burst to life, so did all of the others. With the hall illuminated, it was clear how far they had been walking… which was not much, seemingly only a few meters. The shadows really were weighing them down, and they watched in disgust as the squirming darkness recoiled from the light of the torches, hissing as it moved away. The group exchanged brief looks before continuing on their way, eager to escape the confines of the hallway.

There was an ornate door at the end of the hall, obviously leading to the captain's quarters. Nariko kicked the door down, allowing light to flood in through the entrance. The room was quite large with beautiful furnishing. A large tapestry covered the entirety of the back wall, depicting a map of the seas that the ship had travelled. Red marks and lines were scattered all over it, indicating trade routes and places where the ship could dock.

Nariko searched the desk for information on what had happened to the ship and came across a black diary. She opened it, but it was written in a language unknown to her. Zelda appeared at her side and took the book into her hands. Nariko opened her mouth to protest but snapped it shut when she saw the fierce glow of the Triforce.

The words on the page were no trouble for Zelda; the Triforce of Wisdom had allowed her to make sense of the foreign wording. "This here, it's the Captain's log. It's been here for a long time…" She flicked through the pages in the hopes that there would be some information relating to the state of the ship.

While Zelda and Nariko were analysing the logbook, Link and Aqua were having a minor argument about Nariko and her mysterious blade.

"Are you sure we can trust her?" Aqua whispered.

Link frowned, unable to come up with a decent reply. "I… don't know. She hasn't shown any inclination toward harming us, and she certainly is capable of dealing incredible damage to the heartless."

"But the blade! What kind of creation shies away from the light?" she snapped.

"Maybe the blade is evil. But what of Nariko? I truly believe she is a good person – dangerous, yes – but a good person nonetheless."

"And what if the blade is controlling her? What if that sword is a different kind of evil than the heartless? Maybe the only reason she is helping us is because she needs the heartless gone too, and when they are… What if she turns on us?"

The minor argument had turned into a heated discussion, and their voices rose to a point where it attracted attention. Thankfully, the topic was not conveyed to Nariko.

"Quit talking. Who knows what kind of attention you might attract!" growled Nariko.

Zelda had finally come across some helpful information which she immediately relayed to her friends, in an attempt to quell any further arguments. "The Captain was very thorough and detailed with his writings. There is an entry for almost every day, I presume he only omitted the days where truly nothing happened. The ship was constantly travelling, only ever docking when it was absolutely necessary, and even then, minimal contact with people was made. Listen to this, _'Arya found a stowaway onboard today, hiding below deck with the rowing men. He's lucky it was Arya who spotted him, anyone else would have had the bastard killed. Whoever let him slip by and onto the ship, though, will pay with his life. We cannot risk anyone getting to the light, even if it is well hidden.' _This ship was built specifically to house a Keyhole, and keep it far away from anyone who would do wrong. The Captain has been making entries for many – many – years, and he just stopped… the same day that Skyloft fell."

Zelda was released from the trance of knowledge that the Triforce had put her in, and she noticed that Link and Aqua were standing side by side on the other side of the room. They were quite close to each other, almost too close.

In that moment of silence, it became apparent that the four of them were not the only ones in the room. Someone – or something – was breathing heavily, standing in the corner of the room where the light could not touch.

A man, or, what was left of him, shuffled forward, leaving a trail of dark and almost black blood behind him. It let out a bloodcurdling shriek, causing Link and Aqua, who were closest to it, to become paralysed with fear. The creature jumped onto Link's back and attempted to bite down on his shoulder, but Nariko was too fast for the monster and extended her blade into its head, causing it to let go of Link. The corpse hit the floor, and Nariko moved to the corpse to finish it off. The Heavenly Sword went snicker-snack as it separated the head from the body.

"Filthy death magic," snarled Nariko. She looked down on the creature with disgust, and then spat on it.

Navi floated down to the mangled corpse to get a better look. "I have heard of this, but to see it is just… horrible. I cannot understand why someone would do this." The fairy spoke a few words that were in a strange language, causing the corpse to glow faintly before it turned to a shimmery blue dust. "We certainly won't see him again," she said with a sharpness to her tone that surprised even Nariko. The fairy looked around once more to ensure their safety before returning to her space in Link's cap. Navi stuck her head out. "I can't do that too often, I am only tiny and this magic is very strong. Avoid them as much as possible."

"Search the remains."

Everyone turned to Zelda, unbelieving that it was she who suggested the action.

"Search them," she said again. "If he was in the Captain's Quarters, then we have reason to believe he is – or was – the Captain. So, he could have something useful on him. Search them."

The edge of Nariko's mouth raised in a slight smile. She was beginning to appreciate this girl.

"It makes sense," said Nariko, as she rummaged through his pockets. "What… have we here?"

She pulled out a crumpled and blood stained piece of parchment. It was thick from being folded many times, suggesting that it was quite large. Nariko spread it out onto the table in the centre of the room.

"It's a map of the ship," she stated.

They deliberated over where they should head next for a few minutes. Far below them, on the bottom deck of the ship, was a large area, labelled only with a rough sketch of the Triforce. Common sense led them to believe that that was where they needed to be. The map revealed a trapdoor in the room that would lead straight into the food stores, from which they could access the crew's sleeping quarters. From in there, they would have to cross all the way to the other side of the ship, and descend a short flight of stairs. It would lead them right up to the room. Link wished to avoid the sleeping quarters, fearing that the crew would still be in there, and just as dangerous as the captain was.

"I just don't think we could handle that many in such a stuffy environment. It would be far too dangerous."

They all agreed that it would be wise to avoid the crew's quarters as Link had advised. The path they would be taking lead them back to the top deck – which they were to cross to the bow of the ship, down one level, then back across the whole way to the stern of the ship, then down several levels to the hull. Once more they would cross to the bow of the ship, and climb a set of stairs which would lead them straight to the door.

Zelda sighed in exasperation. "Whoever designed this ship was either a complete idiot, or someone who designed it poorly so as to provide us with a challenge. Why can't things just ever be easy?"

"Amen, sister," replied Link. The two of them exchanged fist bumps.

Nariko and Aqua watched the bizarre exchange, not quite sure what to make of it. Thankfully, Navi had urged them onwards, so they left without any further delay.

Much to their surprise, the hallway was no longer there. Instead of rounding a corner, it was simply a dead end. Aqua tried striking the wall with her Keyblade, but the weapon merely left a small chip in the wood. She raised her hand for another strike, but Nariko held Aqua's arm back before she could swing again. The walls groaned and creaked as they collapsed inward, the hallway appearing to eat itself. The ship was forcing the group to re-enter the Captain's cabin. Once they were all in, the door slammed itself shut and disappeared. The roof too began to shudder and it began to lower with a vicious speed, intent on crushing the intruders on the ship.

"We need more time! I can't find the trapdoor!" shouted Link.

Zelda quickly summoned a binding spell and used it to halt the descent of the roof. "I'm not sure how long I can hold this!" Even as she spoke, her words sounded strained with effort.

Nariko pushed the large wooden desk aside, revealing the trapdoor. "In here!"

Zelda's binding spell had broken as she rushed over to the hole and dropped in. Nariko barely made it through in time before it closed and disappeared. They remained where they were, silently waiting for any sign of impending danger. The odour in the air was so offensive that it made Zelda and Aqua both retch. The darkness was so vile in this place that it had caused all the food to rot, piles of it pushing up into the dark corners of the room. Unable to bare the smells any longer, they shuffled through the door and into the darkness beyond.

It was unnaturally cold on the other side of the doorway, where they stopped and huddled together. Navi emerged from beneath Link's cap, her faint blue glow illuminating everyone just enough that they could see each other. "We should tread very carefully… We were right to try and avoid this room. I've never heard of such a concentrated amount of dark magic. I fear that should we succeed in purging the evil, the release of energy would surely cause the ship to collapse."

At that moment, Zelda noticed that they were surrounded. She barely managed to stifle her scream as she pointed out the closest abomination – it was directly behind Link. His eyes, along with everyone else's, followed the direction Zelda had indicated. Link whipped around, and his hand collided with another. The beast let out a guttural roar that caused all of the other creatures to do the same. Aqua was able to summon a protect spell around them before a barrage of rabid attacks came down upon them.

She struggled hard against the pressure. "I'm going to blow the shield! Get ready to run!"

Aqua screamed with the effort, putting all her power behind the blast. The shield shattered, sending massive shards of the crystalline substance flying in all directions. The shield cut through the enemies like a hot knife through butter – many of the creatures dropped to the ground, writhing in pain at the loss of a limb. Nariko was swinging wildly, cleaving a path through the many enemies with little effort. Link remained on the side, using his shield to push back the few enemies that made it past Nariko's massive swing.

Zelda, who could not attack due to the lack of space, had to stand in the middle of them and shuffle along as they did. "How much farther!" she shouted.

Aqua activated her Keyblade armour and jumped onto her glider. It raised her high enough to see over the crowd of enemies, so she shot a fireball overhead in the hopes that she could see their path. The fireball travelled quite far, before it hit a large door. Where the spell hit, a golden triforce flared momentarily, signalling their destination.

Aqua was knocked from her glider, which went careening off to the side. It changed back into her Keyblade and became lodged in the wall. Shadows began to snake around the weapon, holding it in place.

"I can't call back the Keyblade! Something's wrong!" Aqua's armour fell apart as she spoke.

Zelda too, was knocked to the ground, narrowly avoiding a much more dangerous attack by a hair's breadth. Link jumped over to Zelda's side and defended her vigorously, pushing back twice as hard as he was attacked.

Nariko was beginning to struggle as her arms and the Heavenly Sword were drenched in blood. Soon there were too many monstrosities for her to swing her blade which became stuck in the side of one of them. More of the shuffling corpses piled on, and she had to let go.

Link fought valiantly for as long as he could, but even he, with the power granted by the Triforce, could not hold out for long. One of the creatures got a hold of Link's arm, and bit down hard. Link cried out as a chunk of his flesh was ripped straight off.

The injury added a whole new level of bloodlust to the creatures, who seemed to become much more aggressive with the scent of blood in the air.

Overcome by the sudden pain, Link faltered and fell to the ground. Zelda pulled him in, and Aqua was only able to erect a tiny protect field that barely contained them all.

Everything seemed to slow down when they were lying in the tiny field of protection. Zelda and Link were healing his arm, but because of the nature of the attack it was taking longer than expected.

Then Aqua's shield broke.

Enemies fell upon them, ripping, biting and tearing.

As the shadows began to claim them, a bright blue light pulsed outward. The creatures reeled back from the light, scrambling all over each other in an effort to get as far away as possible.

Aqua had seen this before. She coughed in an effort to stop what came next. "Navi! No…"

Navi rose out from beneath Link's cap and floated out to the centre of the room. Everything was covered in her light that, without the current circumstances, would have been extremely beautiful.

Link, Zelda and Aqua's wounds closed over and filled out and color returned to their faces. The three of them floated over and formed a circle around Navi and held out their Triforce marks in front of them.

Light exploded out from Navi, causing every single monstrosity in the room – and possibly throughout the whole ship – to disintegrate. The floor was entirely covered in the blue dust that they left behind.

The three Triforce bearers gently lowered to the floor, and they all whipped around just in time to see Navi turn into a small blue crystal. It dropped to the ground with a light clink. Link and Aqua dropped to their knees, unable to think. Link scooped up the crystal very gently and pressed it to his chest.

Zelda had run straight to Nariko's side and gotten to work closing her wounds. "Link, Aqua! Get over here now!"

Zelda's call caused them to snap out of their sad state, and the two of them rushed over to her side and helped with the healing.

Nariko's wounds were all closing, but something was preventing her from fully recovering. Zelda closed her eyes and placed two hands on Nariko, using her power to search for the cause.

"She… she has been cursed. I don't think we can heal her, not while there is still evil magic in this place."

Aqua had a determined look upon her face. "Then we had better hurry."

Aqua pulled her Keyblade from the wall, letting out a great war cry as she did so. Link and Zelda added their voices to Aqua's and they charged down to the door at the back of the room. It vanished as they approached, welcoming them inside.

It appeared to be empty, save for a tiny little shadow twitching in the middle of the room. Its bright yellow eyes did not seem to look at them as they entered, apparently not detecting their presence.

Aqua walked up to the little creature, eying it with disgust. "That's it?" she smirked as she drew her weapon, swinging hard at the heartless.

"Aqua wait!" said Link and Zelda, in unison.

They Keyblade hit a solid object that was surrounding the heartless, and the energy of Aqua's attack was shot back right into her chest. She grunted as the wind was knocked out of her.

Zelda approached the heartless and gently reached out her index finger, lightly touching the place where the Keyblade made contact. The barrier felt like it was made out of solid rock, but where she touched it, the air looked as though it had become liquid. She ordered the others to stand back as far as they could, and aimed an arrow at the heartless. For a moment, it seemed as if the arrow was going to push through. It hovered in the air, slowly moving forward by tiny increments until it vanished.

Zelda sidestepped just in time to avoid the bolt of energy that was shot back at her. "Link, try pushing your sword through it."

Link stepped up and raised his sword over the heartless. He lowered it until it was just touching the barrier, creating the same watery effect that Zelda had seen earlier. Little by little, he added pressure to the blade until the entirety of his bodyweight was upon it. He could not get through.

Aqua moved in and kicked the heartless, frustrated with their pitiful attempts at breaking through. Her foot bounced off and she did a complete flip before landing on her backside. Link had to turn away to mask his slight grin.

Zelda's brow was furrowed in thought, her brain analysing the situation with the added power of the Triforce. "Aqua. Could you perhaps create a protect field inside the barrier?"

Aqua was surprised by the suggestion, but did not hesitate to try it. "Here goes nothing!"

A great cracking sound broke the silence, as Aqua's protect field formed and shattered at the same moment inside the barrier. The heartless was destroyed instantly, the vile blood staining the inside of the protective field. No longer being held back by the heartless guarding it, the Keyhole revealed itself.

Link was the only one brave enough to peer inside. The last time they were at a Keyhole, they had gotten a brief glimpse at how many had been taken prisoner by the darkness. This time, there were thousands more trapped in the darkness beyond. It made him sick to think that if he failed his journey, every single one of these people would be turned into instruments of darkness.

The three of them sealed the Keyhole, basking in the light that had filled the room. The darkness that had covered the walls of the ship had been obliterated, revealing the true beauty of the ship. The walls inside the keyhole room were painted with gold, creating a strange yet beautiful series of reflections.

Zelda smacked Link on the back of the head, irritated by his lack of focus. "You can look at the pretty colors later! Nariko is more important than your stupid reflection!"

She stormed off to Nariko's side, where she knelt down and picked up the warrior's hand. Healing light coursed out of Zelda and into Nariko, and her eyelids slowly opened.

Nariko jumped up and slammed Zelda out of the way. "Where is my sword!" she screamed.

Link ran over to Zelda and helped her up, while Aqua went over to where the Heavenly Sword was lying on the ground. She reached out her hand to pick it up, but Nariko slapped it out of the way.

As soon as the blade was safely back in her hands, she visibly relaxed. Her worried look faded away and her breathing returned to its usual even pace. "I… am sorry. This treasure is very sacred to me, if I had lost it now, I'd-"

Before she could finish her sentence, the ship lurched to the side. They were all thrown off their feet, struggling to regain their footing as the ship violently trembled.

"Seriously!" shouted Link, as he ran for the stairs. Aqua, Zelda and Nariko trailed behind, and the four of them emerged onto the top deck to witness the full extent of the danger they were in. The barrier that was masking the ship was breaking down, raining huge chunks of the crystalline substance all over the deck. Link looked around for any smaller boats they could use to get to safety, but not a single one was in sight.

Another violent shake sent him toppling over, and he rolled all the way to the edge, nearly causing him to go overboard. His companions helped him up, and they stood together trying to work out how to get out safely.

The decision was made for them. The ship just fell apart, every deck giving way to the one above it.

"Jump!" screamed Link, making a beeline for the edge that was safest. They dropped into the icy water and clung to bits of wood that had scattered from the ship.

They were able to find a good chunk that was large enough for them all to sit on. Once they were all safely on top, they all looked at each other and sighed.

Link coughed, the salty water stinging his throat. "After this, I don't think I'll ever go out to sea again."

**A/N: I was originally going to put this up as a two-part chapter in one upload, but the next bit is turning out a bit longer than I expected, so I'm just going to make it a full chapter. This bit comes a little earlier and I'll have the next up in a few days! Thanks for reading!**


	16. Chapter XVI: Two Guys, One Horse

**A/N: This... took longer than I expected. Sorry for the delay! Enjoy, and please, review if you can, it would be greatly appreciated! ¡muchas gracias!**

**CHAPTER XVI: TWO GUYS, ONE HORSE**

**Alistair, Ezio and Epona**

Alistair looked on with despair as he watched his companions vanish into thin air along with the ship they had boarded. He stamped the floor in frustration, uncertain of what to do next. A gentle hand touched his shoulder, and he looked up to see a pair of warm brown eyes watching him intently.

"Alistair… there is nothing we can do now except try and get this ship to where we originally intended. Besides, I've seen all of them fight and I am certain that they will be fine."

Alistair stood up and smiled sadly. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

The two of them walked back into the main cabin on the ship. Ezio hazarded a quick glance over his shoulder, looking out for his new friends. Despite convincing Alistair, he himself wasn't so certain.

Ezio had just sat down when he realised that they had not checked on the state of Link's horse. He rushed down to the deck where they had put her, only to find the poor beast extremely distressed. Epona was rearing wildly, her eyes wide with fear.

Ezio smiled as he approached the horse, whispering softly. "Calm down big girl, you are safe now. Shhh…"He gently placed his hands on the horse, slowly rubbing her withers and neck. "Alistair, bring me some hay, and come slowly. You won't want to startle her, especially in such close quarters."

Alistair approached very cautiously, tip-toeing delicately toward Epona with a small bundle of hay in his hands. The horse had calmed considerably by now, but only Ezio was aware of this. He watched with amusement as Alistair tried to be as non-threatening as possible.

Alistair was very nervous around the horse, and this was broadcast loud and clear by the waver in his voice. "Hey… Epona. I've got some nice hay for you-"

His boot stuck on a raised piece of flooring, and her lurched toward the horse, sending hay flying everywhere. Epona reared back, jolted by the quick movement. Before she could stamp down, Ezio swiftly stepped in front of the horse and held her face in his hands. He carefully placed his face to her nose, and exhaled in time with the horses' breath. Once she had calmed again, Ezio signalled for Alistair to (slowly) pick up the hay and feed it to the horse.

The edge of Ezio's mouth rose slightly as he watched Alistair on his knees, scraping up all the hay. The older man pointed over behind Alistair, telling him that there was some more hay that had been blown over to that corner. The younger man, whose hair matched the color of the hay, turned and crawled over to where Ezio had pointed, completely oblivious to the fact that his backside was being admired.

"_Dio mio…" _Ezio whispered, hoarsely.

Epona had decided that she had had enough of watching Ezio toy with Alistair, and gave a brusque snort before head butting Ezio.

"What?" he said, his accent thick.

The horse gave him a look of contempt before shaking her head. He gave the horse a gentle shove, only to receive one back that almost toppled him over.

Alistair stood up finally, a grin of triumph spread across his face. Epona walked out of her stall, pointedly blocking out Ezio.

Once Ezio was certain the horse had calmed, he led Alistair out of the stable area and back to the top deck. The two of them simply stood there for a few peaceful moments, enjoying the fresh air and the warm sun.

Ezio jumped when Alistair spoke to him, briefly startled by the sudden break in silence. "So, Ezio. Can I ask why you… aren't – weren't – one of the bad guys back there? From what I saw, you certainly had enough money to do so."

"They killed my father, and my younger brother, too. After my mother was forced to watch them hanged for crimes of treason they did not commit, she lost her grip on reality, effectively becoming as useless as a babe. I had to care for her, and my younger sister. I doubt we would have survived if not for the enormous fortune my family had built up."

Alistair grimaced, immediately regretting the question. Ezio's voice did not falter, and he continued. "And, you remember Nonna, no? She has come to care for my remaining family as if we were her own. And we all return that feeling."

Ezio seemed oddly calm talking about such heavy topics, and the way he just carried on with nonchalance suggested that he was truly unaffected by the events he had just relayed.

"You seem very, errr…. Cool – with that."

Ezio smiled at the younger man, momentarily dazed by the way the sunlight filtered through his golden brown hair. "I filled with rage, at first. I tried to fight the enemy at any chance I had… but during those tough years, I learnt many things, and perhaps the most important of all was that those who are free of resentful thoughts surely find peace. So, I am happy." Ezio smiled warmly at the younger man and tousled his hair, the gesture making Alistair seem much more childlike.

Just then, Alistair's stomach grumbled. He laughed awkwardly before suggesting that they find something to eat. Down in the stores, much to his delight, there were several varieties of cheeses, as well as some preserved meats and fruits.

Ezio knelt down beside a cabinet and unlocked it with a tiny silver key. He pulled out two large pots and sighed with relief when he was certain that the contents were unharmed. It was still warm, too. He set the food down and unhooked one of the large legs of meat from the wall.

"What _is _that?" asked Alistair.

Ezio produced a hidden blade from his sleeve, and quickly carved a small slice from the side. He handed it to Alistair, who eyed the dark meat cautiously.

"Go on, try it. It's delicious, I swear."

Alistair slowly placed the Italian meat into his mouth, feeling the strange texture on his tongue. It was very salty, but not entirely unpleasant. It was something that he suspected was an 'acquired taste,' but was just fine with something else. "It's better than what I had to eat when I was travelling with the Warden, at least. But I think I'll just stick with my own stuff, thanks."

He walked out of the room carrying a small round piece of cheese, a jar of pickled onions and some flatbread, leaving Ezio alone inside.

Once the two of them had finished eating, they sat on the top deck together and watched the sun setting. It was still very warm despite the time of day, leaving them a few hours before they would have to retire below deck. Ezio caught himself admiring Alistair once again and shook his head. He did not like how infatuated he was becoming with the younger man, but he just seemed so… perfect.

Ezio looked away from Alistair and back to the burning orange clouds in the sky. "Your turn."

"Huh?" said Alistair, snapping out of his intense stare.

"I've told you my story, so now you tell me yours."

"Oh… okay. What do you want to know?"

Ezio was momentarily silent as he thought. "Why are you here?"

"Well, I kinda passed out – naked – right in the middle of the camp that Link and Zelda had set up. I woke up to a face full of icy water. Not fun." Alistair looked down at his hands, remembering his first encounter with his new friends. "I'm not sure why, but they helped me. They let me stay with them, so I promised I'd help however I could."

"Great." Ezio chuckled gently. "Why were you naked?"

"I must've removed all of my clothing at some point."

"Very funny. Why were you passed out, then?"

"Too much to drink."

Ezio pursed his lips, irritated by the lack of answers he was receiving from the other man. "Are you going to give me any real answers, or just deflect everything I say with something stupid?"

Alistair silently resumed looking at his hands, much to the annoyance of Ezio who sighed in frustration before walking off. He took one last look at Alistair before locking himself in the captain's cabin.

"My friend betrayed me…" he whispered to himself.

Alistair picked up everything he had with him and went below deck to find somewhere to sleep. Down on the second deck, there were several hammocks swaying with the ship. He climbed into one before attempting to get some rest.

Ezio awoke to a strange moaning sound coming from the door to his cabin. He slipped out from the luxurious furs on the bed and tied a robe around himself. Just to be safe, he dropped a sharp dagger into the sleeve of the robe before walking over.

"Ezio, let me in… I'm cold."

He unlocked the door immediately, feeling slightly guilty over having left Alistair outside with naught but the clothes on his back. "_Entrare…" _Ezio covered his mouth to stifle a big yawn.

Ezio threw several of the furs that were piled up in the corner at Alistair before collapsing back onto the bed. Just as he was about to get back to sleep, Alistair's voice brought him back to a waking state.

"The floor's too hard…" he whispered.

Ezio groaned as he sat up. "_Merda! _Fine. Get in here with me if you want, just let me sleep!"

Alistair crawled up into the bed and lay down so that he was facing away from Ezio. His eyes were just about to close when he felt something jabbing into his behind.

"Ezio..?"

"What now!"

"What's that poking me, down behind?"

Ezio reached into the bed and removed the dagger he had hidden when he went to see what was at the door. It clanged against the floor as Ezio cast it aside. "It was a dagger; I wasn't sure what was trying to get inside before, not with the noises you were making."

"Oh, okay. Night."

"Goodnight."

"Hey, Ezio?"

The Italian did not even bother to speak, merely grunting in response.

"Is that another dagger down there?"

Ezio coughed. "Oh… uhh. Yes. A dagger."

The bed creaked as Ezio rearranged himself and the two of them finally drifted off to sleep. They slept well.

Alistair slowly woke up and stretched out onto the bed. He simply lay there for a few brief moments of respite, taking in the warmth. Ezio was nowhere to be seen, and none of his equipment was in the room. Alistair got dressed and stepped out into the bright sunlight, surveying the area for any sight of land. He spotted something far out on the horizon, but he could not be certain.

Seeing nothing to do on the top deck, Alistair decided to go down and check on Epona. He stopped short of the doorway though, when he heard a faint voice echoing down the hall. He crept closer, until he was fully able to make out the words. Ezio was singing to Epona as he combed her hair, moving the brush over the horse very delicately.

"_I have buried you,__  
><em>_Every place I've been…__  
><em>_You keep ending up__  
><em>_Every place I am…"  
><em>

The words were long and drawn out, but beautifully sung. Alistair carefully sat down so that he could properly listen, when the singing stopped.

Ezio turned to the doorway. "Alistair, you've finally woken up. We're almost at Riften." He motioned for Alistair to come and help groom the horse, which he did so without hesitation. They sat there for most of the day, talking about themselves and the different things they enjoyed. Epona was greatly enjoying the pampering, going so far as to give the two men a gesture of affection by gently butting her head against them.

It was a few hours before they reached the docks of Riften. Something was holding them up, and Ezio spotted a crowd of people standing around a small fishing trawler as if someone had just caught the biggest fish in history. Once they had secured Epona and taken her to the stables just outside of the town, they made their way back to the docks to investigate the commotion.

The first thing the two men spotted was the long, radiant red hair of Nariko, who was lying down on the ground beside Link, Zelda and Aqua. The man who owned the ship was enjoying the attention, telling everyone how he bravely pulled them from out of the sea, even though they were armed and possibly dangerous. Alistair pushed through the crowd and shook Link awake. He was extremely dehydrated, so Alistair gently sat him up while Ezio went to get some water. He forced each of them to drink slowly, and in turn they took small sips until they were able to move, albeit only slightly.

A tall and statuesque woman, with dark blonde hair and blue war paint on her face, rushed over and barked orders at some of the civilians to get out of the way. Ezio found her rather intimidating, and could easily understand why people did as she said.

She spoke with a strange accent that neither Ezio nor Alistair had heard. "Come with me, we will take your friends over to the Bee and Barb. There will be bedding and food, and we shall see to it that they are taken care of."

Ezio gave a low bow, while Alistair stood there awkwardly. Ezio lifted Link onto his back, with Alistair doing the same for Zelda. The woman easily lifted Nariko onto her back, not even the weight of the Heavenly Sword causing her to falter. Aqua weakly pushed herself off the ground, pausing for a moment to see if she could walk herself.

"I'll… be fine." She croaked.

Some of the priests from the nearby church were called in to look after the new arrivals, and a woman named Hafjorg agreed to bring in some curative tonics to speed up their recovery. Alistair was devouring the food that had been laid out for him, and many of the people inside the inn were watching him with a strange admiration.

Ezio bowed once again to the woman who had helped earlier. "_Grazie, amico mio. _Your help is most fortunate. I am Ezio, and… that is Alistair."

Alistair looked up and gave a non committal grunt, before shovelling more food into his mouth. He felt as though he had not eaten properly in days.

"My name is Mjoll. Welcome to Riften."


	17. Chapter XVII: Riften

**A/N: Yay! A new chapter! This was going to be part of the last chapter but it kinda grew out of hand, so much so that it became its own chapter. Thanks for reading, please leave a review! Thanks ;)**

**CHAPTER XVII: RIFTEN**

**-EZIO-**

Ezio, unaccustomed to such kindness from strangers, was determined to find out Mjoll's angle in all of this. He needed to know what the cost of her aid was going to be, and if they were able to pay it. "So, Mjoll, if you do not mind my asking so, why is it that you have helped us?"

Mjoll gently placed her giant axe against the wall before smiling at Ezio. She looked downward, as if recalling a past event, before speaking. "When I was a child, my village was burned to the ground by bandits. Do you know I actually saw one laugh as he ran my brother through... Since then, I swore to myself that I could not let anything bad happen again."

Ezio studied her face, trying to find any indication that what she was saying was untrue. "That doesn't explain why you helped us. I am certain that we would have been able to cope without your assistance, as appreciated as it was."

Mjoll's ears pricked, sensing the presence of an unwanted eavesdropper. She indicated for Ezio to follow her, and she led him into a small room just beyond the stairway. Ezio waited inside as she ducked her head out of the doorway to check for any followers. Once satisfied, she closed the doors to the room and took a seat opposite Ezio. "You'll have to excuse the secrecy… I can't risk anyone hearing this, lest I end up in a stinking cell, with that Black-Briar boy."

Ezio, whose interest in the situation was increasing at a steady rate, leaned back in his chair. "I'm listening," he said, his facial expression completely blank.

Mjoll leaned in closer. "Someone in this town needs to die, and I cannot be the one to do it."

Ezio panicked, wondering how she knew of his skills as an assassin. Before he could say anything, Mjoll continued.

"I need someone who isn't from this place to do it. Someone Grelod will never see coming."

"Grelod?"

Mjoll hushed Ezio, leaning in further still. "Yes. Grelod, the Kind. She runs the orphanage in town, but… the children in there would have a better life out on the streets."

"How so?" said Ezio, his interest in the issue increasing at a steady rate.

"You hear stories… I've heard she beats the children. They suffer day and night at her hands, but no-one will do anything about it. One of the children has tried to contact the Dark Brotherhood, something that no good will ever come from. Please… I don't know who else to ask. Half the town will report me for this, and the other half are too scared to do anything."

Ezio did not need to think twice. "I will help you."

Mjoll's tough exterior looked as though it was about to shatter, her eyes indicating that she was on the verge of tears. "Thank you…" she took a moment to compose herself. "You can find Honorhall Orphanage by going across the market, then turning right when you reach Mistveil Keep. Grelod is there day and night, but so is Constance Michel. If you've any doubts about anything I've told you, I suggest you go to the Orphanage and see for yourself."

Ezio nodded. "Very well. Just one more thing, before I leave… Why call her Grelod the _Kind_?"

"No-one has the gall to say otherwise."

Ezio gave a low bow to Mjoll before stepping out of the door and back into the main room of the inn. He tossed a sack of coin to the innkeeper, thanking her graciously for her services. She was about to tell him that he had over payed, but he was outside in the cold wind before she could even speak.

He shivered as the wind hit him, blowing through his cloak as if it were made of the thinnest material imaginable. He walked the path Mjoll had suggested, passing several market stalls where merchants were packing up their goods. Ezio spotted a gilded dagger that glinted brightly in the setting sun sitting unguarded on a stall shelf. He sidled his way up to the merchant, who was looking rather disgruntled, and as though Riften were the last place she would rather be. He flashed his most charming grin at her, allowing the words _'Ciao, amore' _to roll off his tongue in his native language. The woman was momentarily dazed, letting out a tiny giggle before returning to her pack up.

"Is there something I can help you with, my friend?" the woman asked.

He smiled again, doing his best to woo the woman in front of him. "_No, grazie. _I merely wish to learn the name of the most beautiful woman I've ever laid eyes upon."

The woman was becoming hot and flustered, unused to such attention from other men. Ezio moved in closer, his hip barely inches from hers. She backed up into her stall, and Ezio leaned in toward her, his eyes locked upon hers.

"I'm Grelka…" she said, the last part of her name drawing out into a long sigh.

Ezio had his hands upon the dagger now, and with one quick move he slid it up into his sleeve. He brushed his lips against her cheek, lingering there only briefly. Grelka shuddered under his presence, unable to respond. Ezio gave her a sly wink before walking away. The poor woman had no idea what had hit her.

He made his way out of the market area as quickly as he could; not wanting to wait and see if Grelka noticed what was missing. A sign told him he had reached Mistveil Keep, where he stood momentarily to admire the large golden-leaved trees bursting from the grounds surrounding the building. He had never seen such a color in all his life, and made a mental note to take some leaves before they left the town.

A sharp cry echoed from the end of the pathway, snapping Ezio from his state of admiration. He dashed to the place where the scream came from, his expertly trained feet not making a single noise as he approached the building. Peering through the window, he could see a mature aged woman standing over some children. Her grey hair was pulled into a tight bun, held with a sickly yellow ribbon that matched the pallid coloration of her dress. The woman raised a long wooden stick high into the air, and brought it down hard onto one of the child in front of her. The young girl fell to the ground in a sobbing heap, where another boy ran to her side to shield her from any further blows. The woman, whom Ezio presumed to be Grelod the 'Kind,' grabbed the boy by his hair and lifted him off the girl. Just before she could strike him too, Ezio charged in through the door, drawing looks from everyone inside. Grelod immediately let the boy go, storming off down the corridor and slipping out of sight. The children all ran and hid, uncertain and afraid of the intentions of their new visitor.

Another woman, one whom Ezio had not spotted, stepped out of the shadows and up to him. "I'm sorry, but the children aren't up for adoption right now. You should go," she said, ushering Ezio toward the exit.

"Is she always that cruel to the children?" growled Ezio, shocked and angered by what had happened.

The woman stopped short, at a loss for words. "I…w- yes, but… there is nothing more for you here. Please, just go. It is cruel to get the children's hopes up."

Ezio was just out of the doorway when it slammed shut behind him. The sky was darkening rapidly, it being almost dark enough for Ezio to slip around the streets completely invisible. He headed toward the back of the Orphanage, searching for a way to sneak inside without anyone seeing him. Just behind the building there were a set of stairs that led to the lower level of the city, where Ezio found a small entrance that led to a tunnel running right below the orphanage. The grate was locked shut, but the tiny amount of security was nothing that he could not handle. With a few deft hand movements, there was a faint click, and the lock popped open. He eased it open, being very careful not to let the rusty hinges groan loud enough to alert anyone. The space beyond was just large enough for Ezio to fit through, forcing him to enter in a crouched position. He followed the tunnel along until it opened up into a small room that stunk of decay, the air filled with strange moisture that seemed to clog up his mouth and nose. Shackles lined the walls of the place, too small to bind the arms of a fully grown person. A rage boiled inside Ezio, as he came to grips with the extent of the torment that these children went through. On the far side of the dungeon was a poorly crafted wooden ladder that went straight up into a trap door.

Ezio was just about to push the door open when he heard Grelod talking to the other woman who worked at the Orphanage.

Grelod's voice was cracked with age, making her seem all the more sinister. "These children never listen… I must beat them into submission. They will never sell for more than a few gold unless I do otherwise."

"Please, Grelod, don't do this! They are just children… they have no family except for each other! My only concern is for the children. The poor darlings have no one else."

"Get out of my sight, Constance, or I will tell the Guard how your husband really died," snarled the old woman.

Ezio waited for the sound of Constance's footsteps to pass before silently raising the lid of the trapdoor a fraction. It came out at the foot of a bed, just behind where Grelod was sitting. He eased the door open further, and ever so delicately closed it behind him. He withdrew the golden dagger he had stolen earlier and crept up behind Grelod.

The book that Grelod was reading thudded to the ground, the cover coated in the spray of the old woman's blood. She did not make a single sound as Ezio brought the blade across her throat, merely raising her hand to clutch at the gaping wound.

The book that hit the ground was entitled 'The Pig Children,' and Ezio could only imagine what kinds of words marked the pages on the inside. He was about to exit through the trap door again, when he heard a whimper from inside the closet against the wall. Ezio opened the doors, and there was the young boy from earlier shackled inside it.

Ezio let him free immediately, catching the boy before he hit the ground.

"Y-you… killed her!" the boy coughed.

" _Si, _it is over now. You are safe," said Ezio, his voice smooth and gentle.

The boy looked up at Ezio in awe. "How did you do it..? I can't…"

"It was easier than it should have been… It saddens me to take a life, but… sometimes, there is no other way." Ezio placed the golden dagger into the boys hand and closed them around the hilt. "You should keep this. Put it somewhere hidden, somewhere safe. Use it only if you need it. Use it to protect your friends."

The boy walked over to Grelod's body, studying it intently. "This lady had no heart. She was so horrible to everyone here. She was made from darkness."

"I know, _amico. _But she is gone now."

Ezio gave a small salute to the boy before slipping out through the trap door. He snuck back out through the streets and in through a window on the top floor of the Bee and Barb, where he found a soft bed. There was one other bed in the room, occupied by someone he could not see. He sighed before climbing into the bed, finally able to relax at last.

**-ALISTAIR-**

After eating his way through half of the Bee and Barb, Alistair decided that it was time he finally got some rest. He gave a short nod to Ezio and Mjoll before meandering his way up to the room he was to stay in. The quaint trappings of the room lent an air of innocence to the place, but it was far too similar to the inns of Fereldan for him to believe it to be so. There were two single beds in the room with a small set of drawers beside each. In the corner beside the door was a set of shelves lined with only a few books, none of them interesting to Alistair in the slightest. He slid the drawers open, and much to his surprise he found two fresh cabbages and a potato. He thought of perhaps returning them to the kitchens, but going to sleep proved to be far too tempting. The bed was surprisingly comfortable to him, even though the middle had been pressed in over many times of use.

Alistair spent quite a while staring at the ceiling of the room, thinking over everything that had happened to him. His thoughts constantly drifted to the Warden and Morrigan during his travels with them, there being a moment that despite his best efforts, he could never forget.

After an altercation with some particularly nasty bandits, Alistair had ended up with severe wounds. The Warden had bandaged him up and carried his unconscious body all the way back to the party camp where he had him healed by a spirit healer. The Warden had saved his life that day, though Alistair was certain that he regretted doing so. It was many days after that when Alistair had worked up the courage to profess his feelings toward the Warden, presenting him with a single blood-red rose. Later that night, he spotted the Warden laughing as Morrigan used her foul magic to cause the rose to wilt, before leaning in to kiss the man eagerly.

Alistair shivered as a gust of chilly wind blew in through the window and right under the blanket. He sighed in frustration as he rose from the bed and walked to the window. He looked out across the market, spotting Ezio dancing his way through all the stalls. Ezio was quite obviously completely unaware that he was being watched, which delighted Alistair. There was nothing like a bit of entertainment before bed.

Ezio approached a woman who was hurriedly packing her stall and pushed himself up against her, which caused a rush of jealousy to flow through him. He pulled the window shut and hurried back to the bed, eager to get out of the cold.

Alistair pushed all negative thoughts from his mind, not wanting to dwell on the matter. Not a single dream interrupted his sleep that night, for the first time in many days. He awoke the next day to the sounds of a bustling market beginning its daily routine. Merchants were shouting their best prices at all of the passersby, hoping to earn enough gold to feed their families. Someone must have dropped off some fresh clothing through the night, as he found a roughly sewn tunic folded neatly on his bedside table, as well as a pair of leather boots and a fur cloak. He took a quick look outside and decided that the cloak was definitely required when he noticed his breath frosting in the cold morning air.

He was greeted downstairs by a serving woman, who offered him a bowl of hot porridge. Alistair gladly obliged and sat down to eat the delicious breakfast. His face lit up when he found that it had been spiced with a stick of cinnamon and had fresh apple mixed through it. He was tempted to go for more, but had to hold back due to the lack of funding. He tossed the woman a gold piece before stepping out into the cold.

An old begging man approached him as soon as he touched the main path. His voice was wheezy and he drew out the length of the words as he spoke. "You're going to need that cloak, boy… Winter is coming." He cackled maniacally before plodding off down the path and vanishing from sight. Alistair shrugged off the whole strange encounter as he was used to dealing with odd people.

He trudged along the damp pathway, only feigning slight glances at the shop stalls. Right in the centre of the town was a small notice board with several bits of information pinned to it. Most of them were of no interest, just notices of things happening in or around Riften. While he was flicking through the pages, a man came up and pinned a large poster over everything else.

Alistair flinched when he read the words written across the top of the page. 'WANTED,' stamped in red ink, accompanied a rough sketch of two people – people with whom he was all too familiar. On the left was a man with high cheekbones and sharp slanted eyes, and ears to match. Long dark hair hung over half of his face, and Alistair new for sure that this was the Warden. Taking up the other half of the page was Morrigan, complete with the darkness behind her eyes that Alistair had so often seen.

"Excuse me, Sir, but I need more information on these people. Please, you have to tell me," said Alistair, a hint of desperation in his voice.

The man jumped, not expecting such a quick response, let alone from a stranger. "Oh! Yes, go to Mistveil Keep and talk with Unmid Snow-Shod. He can give you further information, including where these two were last seen."

Alistair yelled a short 'thank-you' to the man as he dashed off to find the Keep. Luckily it was situated just north of where he was running and he made it there in mere seconds. He asked one of the guardsmen standing at the door where he could find Unmid, and was directed to the back of the entrance chamber.

The guard opened the heavy wooden doors and ushered Alistair inside. He was immediately greeted by a rush of warm air and the smell of some kind of stew bubbling away. There was a large cooking fire in the middle of the high topped room, surrounded by three very large wooden tables, all lined with silver plates and goblets. Candles lined the walls, as well as several severed animal heads, proudly mounted on the walls. At the far end of the room, a woman was sitting in a large throne, arguing with a young man. Her tone suggested some kind of familial relationship, like a mother scolding her child for doing something stupid. Alistair approached the woman but was halted by a huge, muscle-bound man in heavy armour. Swirling tattoo patterns marked his face, along with a nasty scar that ran up the left side of his cheek and over his eye. His auburn hair was shaped into a thick Mohawk, standing about three inches from his head.

He had a thick, gravelly voice that was perfectly matched to his intimidating appearance. "What business have you with the Jarl of Riften?"

"None. I seek Unmid Snow-Shod, regarding the wanted poster recently put up on the notice board outside."

"I am he. What cause do you have to seek out those troublemakers? I've not seen you in the area ever before."

Alistair paused, uncertain of what he should say. "They are – were – my friends."

Unmid studied Alistair carefully, trying to determine his allegiance. "Have a mind for the company you keep. You should find better friends."

"Don't worry… I have," replied Alistair, making no effort to hide the bitterness in his tone.

Unmid spoke a few words to the woman on the throne in a language Alistair had never heard before. The Jarl nodded and gave a curt bow to Alistair, thanking him for his assistance, before beckoning the two men over. She spoke again to Unmid who just listened, nodding every now and again.

"The Jarl wishes you to take the sword of Riften… Normally this weapon would be given to someone in power, but… She thinks that you will need it."

Unmid took Alistair by the arm and led him to a room directly behind the Jarl's throne. It was a small armoury, carrying basic weaponry ranging from swords to axes to large bows. Mannequins had several sets of shining armour displayed on them, most looking as if they had never been worn.

While Alistair was busy admiring the armour stands, Unmid unlocked a glass case at the back of the room. He withdrew a beautiful black blade from inside, admiring the intricate pattern in the hilt as he did so. He cleared his throat to gain Alistair's attention, and handed him the blade.

"This is yours now… The Blade of the Rift."

Alistair the longsword in his hands and found that it was surprisingly light. He swung it around to get a feel for it, and a huge grin spread across his face as he quickly became accustomed to it. "This… is a nice sword." He took a few swings at the training dummy, almost squealing with delight at how effortlessly it cut through the air.

Unmid dismantled a set of light plate armour and brought it over to Alistair. The pattern on the pauldrons matched the hilt perfectly, and the seal of the Rift was emblazoned on both of the gauntlets. Alistair was helped into the chainmail by Unmid, who then helped him into the boots and chest piece.

Once Alistair was fully suited up, the taller man stepped back to admire the change. "You look… good," he remarked, drawing a small smile from Alistair.

Alistair took a few swings of the sword to test the difference the suit of armour would make during combat. It was far lighter than what he was accustomed to, and the fitted pieces allowed for greater manoeuvrability during combat.

Unmid cleared his throat to get the attention of his new friend. "Once you're done admiring yourself, follow me and I will show you where we need to go. They were last sighted not far from here, entering a cave off to the south. If we take the exit just behind the orphanage and follow the path from there, we will reach a small farm. Hopefully the people there will be able to direct us further."

Some of the servants had prepared small satchels for each of the men, containing some curative tonics as well as a healthy portion of food.

Alistair quickly became worried for fear of how long that he would be gone, not wanting to leave his companions behind. Unmid sensed this and assured him that the trip would only take the better part of the day, and that they would be back just after nightfall.

"Surely we do not need this much food."

Unmid chuckled. "Word has spread of your appetite. The owner of the Bee and Barb was thoroughly amazed by the amount you ate… she didn't want you to get hungry."

Alistair blushed, partly out of embarrassment and partly out of appreciation. "I could get used to this treatment," he said, smiling.

The Jarl thanked the two of them once again for helping before sending them off. The Keep itself was not very far from the orphanage, which was receiving an unusual amount of attention. There were several guards blocking the entrance and Alistair could hear people talking inside.

One of the guard approached Unmid and filled him in. "It's Grelod. She'd been found dead."

Alistair waited outside for a few minutes while Unmid went inside to deal with the murder. He ordered that someone bring this information directly to the Jarl, before issuing orders to remove the body and take it someplace where the children would not see it. The guards treated Unmid with the utmost respect, but whether it was due to fear or admiration, Alistair could not tell.

While Alistair was daydreaming, he did not notice Unmid return to his side. It was finally time to find his old friends. They walked out of the gates to the city, and Alistair was immediately taken by the natural beauty of the area surrounding Riften. Red and green shrubbery lined the cobblestone path, and there were a great many trees with beautiful golden leaves swaying in the wind. Once they were far enough from Riften, the air lost all traces of the city and became crisp and fresh, untainted by the smells of so many people living close together. A river could be heard nearby, which Alistair assumed ran straight out into the sea.

He clapped his hands together, smiling all around as he took everything in. "Unmid, this place is amazing! Where I'm from it's… bland. Everything looked the same at home; it was all brown and boring."

"We can stop and look later, but right now we really should get a move on. Especially if you do not wish to keep your friends waiting."

They continued down the well-worn path, largely in silence save for the occasional 'ooh' from Alistair as a wild deer pranced around in the distance. The wilderness began to thin out not far ahead, and a stone bridge was becoming visible through the gaps in the trees. There was a fork ahead, with a wooden sign pointing to the farm in the middle of the bend.

Unmid seemed very eager to reach the farm, and it was only when they arrived did Alistair see why. A large wooden sign bearing the inscription 'Snow-Shod Farm' stood proudly over the gate, beyond which a kindly old woman tended to her cabbage patch.

After a brief introduction (the woman was his aunt), she took them inside and placed a map of the area down in front of them. There was a large 'X' marking the location of the farm, with the path to and from clearly visible. A faint line had been pencilled in, indicating the dirt path that would lead them directly past the entrance of Crystaldrift cave.

"I believe that the witch and her thrall are still at the cave. Strange things have been happening all around that place, and no one nearby has seen anyone of that description passing through the area," the old woman said, speaking in a militant tone that hinted at a history of battle. "Wild animals have been gathering around the entrance, attacking anyone who gets too close. I'd suggest that you clear a path from afar, while you still can. I'll be back in a moment."

"Once we are close, I will be able to tell if they are there," murmured Alistair. "Hunting mages is something I was trained for, and I already have a sense for Morrigan's magic."

"Morrigan?"

"The witch we are tracking."

Aunt Snow-Shod returned carrying two large bows over her back and placed them down on the table. Both men had the basic skills necessary to use them somewhat successfully, and their swordsmanship more than made up for whatever they were lacking.

Unmid hugged his aunt goodbye, promising that he would return safely. Alistair nodded, and the two of them were out the door and back on the path.

An hour had passed before they had reached their destination. The forest was eerily silent, and the scent of rotting flesh lingered in the air. Unmid crept up a hill, and beckoned for Alistair to follow.

Alistair concentrated hard, trying to isolate a source of magic that he recognised. "Morrigan is here… but there is something more."

While Alistair was focussing his energy, his companion was scoping out the situation at the mouth of the cave. A pack of feral wolves were circling it, leaving no way to sneak past them. He readied his bow and mouthed at Alistair for him to do the same.

Unmid drew back the string, inhaling deeply as he did so. With the arrow locked in place, he whipped around and let it fly. The arrow hit its mark, lodging itself in the side of a wolf's head. He quickly returned to cover and waited for Alistair to take one down.

He mirrored the motions that Unmid went through perfectly, and aimed his bow. Just as he fired, however, he lost his footing and the arrow pierced the flesh of the wolf just above its hind legs. Alistair tumbled down the hill, rolling to a stop directly in front of the now enraged wolf pack.

The six that remained circled Alistair, snarling and snapping viciously at him. He rolled out of the way just in time to avoid a bite at his throat, and jumped to his feet. He unsheathed the Blade of the Rift and made a series of quick swings at the wolves closest to him. Another wolf charged him, but he lunged out and it impaled itself on the end of Alistair's blade. He kicked off the twitching carcass, and whipped around to see two wolves felled by arrows from Unmid. An attack from behind caused him to drop his sword, leaving him completely vulnerable. He found himself sidestepping quickly to avoid another lunge at his throat, where he yanked an arrow out of one of the wolves and jammed it into the skull of the attacking beast. He rolled over to his sword and picked it up before slamming his fist into another with a wet crunch. While it was down, he shoved the point of the sword deep into the creature's throat. Alistair was readying a massive swing when Unmid dashed through and slammed his boot into the wolf's head.

The inside of the cave was very dark, sheltered from the light of outside by low hanging roots. Light was flickering at the far end of the tunnel, accompanied by two voices.

A deep male voice was arguing with a somewhat cynical sounding female one. "Morrigan, we should exercise more caution when acting out in the open like this. What if someone from that town follows us here?"

"Please, your concerns are trivial. We've acquired what we came for, and those fools are none the wiser. Come now, love. It is time to return."

There was a distorted warping sound, followed by a rush of power that Alistair had never felt nor seen before.

"The Eluvian is ready."

As soon as Alistair realised what was happening, he gave up on caution. "NO!" he screamed, dashing toward the voices.

Morrigan laughed before she stepped through the Eluvian, hand in hand with the Warden. Neither of them looked back.

The air around the Eluvian hummed with magic, rising in a crescendo. The sound climaxed into an ear-splitting shriek, and the mirror exploded, sending shards of the tainted glass flying through the air.

Alistair dropped to his knees, and screamed. He screamed for the lack of closure, and for letting them escape. He shook with rage, not knowing how to cope with being so close to answers but receiving none.

Unmid sat down beside Alistair, and put an arm around him, giving a light squeeze. He knew that there was more to the story than just friendship, but he also knew the feeling of being so close to something, then having it slip through your fingers.

They sat there for a while, allowing Alistair to pull himself together. He rose, leaving the cavern without a single backward glance. "Tell your Jarl to seal up this place for good. It is too dangerous to be left unchecked. Ensure that no-one finds a piece of that mirror."

Unmid nodded acceptance.

They returned to Riften in reflective silence. Alistair eventually felt relieved that a confrontation had not happened, as he was uncertain of the things he would have said. Probably would have made a fool of himself.

As they approached the city gates, Unmid stopped Alistair. "They won't come back, will they?"

Alistair thought for a moment. "No. I don't think so… there is no reason for them to."

Satisfied with the answer, they continued onward. The guardsmen welcomed them back, many of them wondering what had happened. It was quite late at night, and there was nobody else beside the two of them standing at the bottom of the steps to Mistveil Keep.

"Alistair?" asked Unmid, voice wavering.

"Yeah?"

"Will you come back?"

"I gue-"

Before Alistair could finish, Unmid placed a gentle kiss on the other man's lips. Before Alistair could react, he bounded up the stairs and into the Keep. Alistair tried to follow, but the guards would not permit him entry.

"Oh… okay. Goodnight."

Alistair went to sleep smiling that night.

**-AQUA-**

It felt like she had been asleep for days. Her mind was groggy and her thoughts unclear, suffering from the after effects of her induced rest. Try as she might, she could not bring her eyes to open.

She could hear voices nearby, though they sounded muffled. "I wonder how much longer she'll be out for," one of them said. She thought that she knew the voice, but had not heard it for some time. "The woman who administered the aid said that she'll not be much longer," replied another voice, sounding far gruffer than the first.

Aqua slowly drifted back to sleep, uncertain if the talking she had heard was not a dream. The voices kept replaying in her head, and she tried to focus on them to determine who they were. The more she listened the clearer they became, and soon she was able to put a face to the voices.

"She's waking!" shouted the first voice.

Her eyes flew open and she found herself staring directly into the deep blue eyes of her old friend Ventus. "Ven!" she sat up and wrapped her arms around him, tightly squeezing.

"Hey Aqua. You're kinda choking me," he said, laughing as she released him.

The other man in the room nodded at her. "Aqua."

"Terra! Come over here!"

Of the three of them, Terra was the most serious. While Aqua and Ven would often mess around, Terra was almost always training or looking for other ways he could improve himself. He made an exception this time, and the hard lines on his face softened as he scooped up his two friends for a group hug.

Aqua told them about everything that had happened to her and both Ven and Terra listened in earnest. Ven's eyes were wide with anticipation, while Terra retained his calm, stoic appearance. Just as Aqua finished her recount her stomach grumbled loudly, rousing a giggle from Ven who then offered to go get some food for her.

"No thanks, I'll get it. I'm still feeling a little light headed, and the quick walk will do me good. Wait here," she said, as she got to her feet. She felt a little shaky, but quickly collected her strength and walked to the door. "I'll be back in a minute."

As she reached the bottom floor, she spotted Link and Zelda leaving the building together. Zelda was leaning on Link, even though he did not look too steady himself. Aqua smiled, pleased that they were in moderately good health. Her thoughts turned to Nariko, deciding that she would quickly check up on her before returning to her room. She followed her nose to the kitchens where the staff was busy tending to several wonderful looking dishes.

Aqua walked over to the woman who was overseeing the cooking and asked where she could get some food. The woman smiled and handed her a tray. "Would you mind tasting all of this? Once you're done you can help yourself to anything you like, as payment."

Aqua accepted, perhaps a little too eagerly, and got to 'work' sampling all of the dishes. The first was a meaty stew, with plenty of vegetables and seasonings giving it a rich flavour. The next dish was a large chunk of venison lathered in a thick red sauce. She powered through all of them, praising each and every one of them for the rich flavour and heavenly smell. Her favourite was the pumpkin soup, which reminded her of her own mother's cooking, quickly ladling a large serving into a bowl and took a loaf of nice crusty bread as well. She filled a pitcher of water and took some glasses, then thanked Keerava for the kind gesture.

"It is no problem, I am glad that you enjoyed it so."

She thanked her again before she left, walking very slowly so as not to spill anything on the tray. She stopped to ask a man who was sweeping to direct her to Nariko's room, which was just a little farther down the hall. She backed into the door and pushed it open gently, stepping into the dark room. It was completely silent except for Nariko's faint breathing. Aqua filled a cup of water and placed it on the table beside Nariko's bed, and sat down beside her. Nariko's eyelids were moving rapidly, indicated she was in a dreaming state. Aqua focussed her healing energies and let it flow into Nariko. Even in the low light, Aqua could see that her skin was returning to its usual shade, and her breathing became stronger.

Satisfied with her friend's condition, she picked up the tray and exited the room. She climbed the stairs and was about to push the door to her room open, when she heard Terra and Ven arguing.

Ven sounded distraught, on the verge of tears. "She won't come with us, Terra. She will want to stay with her friends here!"

"Why would she want to stay with those losers? We're her real friends, and I am certain that she'll join us!"

Ven sighed. "Even if that were true – which I am quite confident it isn't – what reason would she have to join us? She has been fighting the heartless, and I cannot see her joining us alongside them!"

"Regardless of her allegiance, we need to find the next Keyhole. She is our best bet."

Aqua nearly dropped the tray out of shock. She took a few moments to pull herself together, deciding what to do.

Could they be willingly fighting for the darkness? In all her time with them, they never acted in a way that suggested any evil intent. It just did not make sense to her. Terra, maybe – he always had a thing for power after all, but Ven too?

Aqua put the tray down nearby and summoned the Keyblade. She counted up to three in her head and charged through the door, and allowed the light of the Triforce of Power to flow freely from her. It filled the room, covering everything inside it with warmth. Except for Ven and Terra.

Terra raised his hands and created a portal behind himself, created out of dark energy that felt like it was the exact opposite of the power Aqua was using. Where she flooded the room with light, Terra's portal was the complete absence of it.

He smiled. "Looks like you were right, Ven," he said, turning to him, "she is no longer one of us."

They stepped backward into the portal and vanished, leaving only a dark mark on the ground where it stood.

Aqua sat down on the bed, her head in her hands. She shuddered heavily and begun to cry. "Ven… Terra…"

She went and got the tray of food she had left outside, and sat at the foot of her bed. The warmth of the pumpkin soup was comforting to her, the flavours a reminder of her family.

**-LINK & ZELDA-**

"Zelda, wake up," Link whispered, gently nudging her. "I've brought us some breakfast."

A few minutes went by before her eyelids fluttered open. She yawned deeply as she stretched out her body and then sat up with her back against the bed frame. She scooted over to the side and patted the space beside her, indicating for Link to slide in too.

Zelda yawned again. "I feel like I've been sleeping for days."

"Me too," said Link, nodding agreeably.

Zelda turned to Link, beaming. "I think this is the first time you've been awake before me, Link."

He laughed. "Don't get used to it," he said with a smirk.

Link put the tray of food down over the middle of them. On it was a loaf of bread that was fresh from the oven, along with two steaming bowls of porridge garnished with cinnamon and apple. They ate happily as they sat together enjoying each other's company.

Zelda had finished all of her share by the time Link had gotten through half. "We should check on Nariko and Aqua. If they aren't awake, we should make use of the down time. Take a nice walk maybe?"

Link nodded and took a large bite out of the bread. He quickly finished, not wanting to keep Zelda waiting much longer. Zelda offered to take the tray back down as she wished to thank whoever made the porridge. It had been the best she had ever had.

"Right, I'll check on Aqua while you do that?" asked Link.

He walked out of the room and turned down the hall. He asked which room Aqua was staying in and followed the attendant to the door. It squeaked as he carefully pushed it open, revealing complete darkness from beyond the frame. Link's head craned around as he tried to spot her, his eyes eventually landing on the bed she was resting in. He walked to her side and lightly touched her forehead, channelling a slight amount of energy to her. He did not want to overdo it for fear of causing her to wake.

Link turned around as he heard a gentle thud come from somewhere else in the room. HE scanned the area, but could not see anything out of the ordinary. One corner of the room seemed particularly dark, so he took a hesitant step toward it. At that moment, Zelda called to him from the door. She blew a kiss to Aqua and whispered a gentle 'see you soon.'

Link turned back, but everything looked normal again, so he shrugged it off and left the room. They walked down the stairs and Zelda took him to Nariko's room, where they sat with her for some time. She was sweating profusely, and her brow was furrowed as if she were exerting herself. Link gently wiped the sheen of sweat off of her forehead while Zelda did her best to calm her. Whether it was a side effect of the medicine she had been given, or something else entirely, Zelda could not say.

"Let's go," whispered Link.

Zelda nodded and accepted his hand to pull her to her feet. They asked the manager of the inn what there was to do in town, and she suggested visiting the market or that they take a walk down by the river. Link quite liked the sound of the walk, but Zelda had already made up her mind on going shopping. Link reluctantly agreed, doing his best to hide his disappointment over their plans.

Zelda was looking pretty shaky, so Link wrapped his arm around her side to help her around. They hobbled out of the inn and onto the street, which was packed with people buying and selling various goods. The Bee and Barb opened out right into the main market area, so they decided that they would wander around there first. They had no money to buy anything, but that did not stop Zelda from looking at every single stall in the square.

Over in the corner of the market, hidden behind a much larger stall, was a small stand selling precious jewellery. Both Link and Zelda walked over, their curiosity getting the better of them. Some of the pieces were glowing faintly, adding to their overall beauty.

Zelda was delighted by the pieces, wishing she could afford one. "Link, look at these! They're so strange, but… so beautiful. I wish I could- huh?"

Link was staring at Zelda absentmindedly, hardly hearing a word she had said.

"What's wrong Link? Why are you staring at me like that?"

His gaze shifted slightly, and he looked Zelda in the eyes. "Yeah… you're right. Really beautiful…"

Zelda was blushing slightly, the color on her cheeks almost undetectable. "What!"

"Yeah…" Link sighed.

"What are you…?"

Link smiled at her. "…you're really beautiful, Zelda."

Zelda's mouth fell open. "M-me? Link, you're such a joker…"

"I'm not joking. You looked so beautiful admiring those jewels. You were smiling like you wouldn't believe."

She looked away from him. "What are you… are you nuts? Are you trying to flatter me or something!"

"Is it working?"

Zelda sighed exasperatedly. "You can be such an idiot sometimes Link! It's almost too much for me to take!"

Link turned his gaze back to the stall. "Oh…" He then looked back to Zelda. "Uhh… are you grinning!"

"What? No!" she snapped.

Link turned away from her to hide his own smile. "All right, all right… you don't need to be so emphatic about it."

Zelda's heart was beating very fast, a fact she almost let slip in front of Link. "Woah…" she said to herself.

Link was about to speak again, but the owner of the stall came up to greet them. He shook both their hands vigorously, thanking them for taking the time to peruse his wares. Each and every piece was hand crafted by the man, who introduced himself as Madesi. The stunning craftsmanship was a product of his labour of love. Zelda was quite amazed by his skills and she found herself wanting to know more.

The man smiled sadly, looking down at the ring on his finger. "My wife taught me everything I know. This shop was her dream."

"Oh! I should very much like to meet her," Zelda said, smiling happily. "Where is she?"

"I… It saddens me greatly to say that that won't be possible… I lost her to bandits many years ago. I searched for her, but all that I found was her wedding ring wrapped in a bloody rag."

Zelda pressed her face against Link's chest to hide her tears from the man, ashamed that she had brought up what was obviously such a painful memory for him. She apologised, barely able to make eye contact with him.

He looked at the ring on his finger, then back to Link and Zelda. "You… remind me of my wife and I at your age. I want you to have these."

He slipped the ring off of his finger and handed it to Link, then walked behind his stall and pulled out a small lockbox. It clicked open, and in it was the ring he had given his wife. He placed it into Zelda's hands and folded them around it. "You will be able to find each other, wherever you are. These rings are special."

Both rings were simple gold bands, the only embellishment being a small symbol etched into the inner part of each. Both Link and Zelda slipped on their rings, and after a few seconds passed, they were acutely aware of how close they were to each other. It felt like there were many thousand strings attaching them together.

"It takes a while to get used to the feeling," he said, drawing a line in the air between the two. "I hope that they help you, wherever you go."

Link and Zelda pulled the man into a hug, greatly appreciative of the gift. They spoke for several more minutes, and eventually the man decided that it was time for him to leave Riften, and perhaps become a travelling merchant. Watching Link and Zelda reminded him of what it felt like to be in love, and hoped that he would one day find that again. They offered to help pack up his things, which he gladly accepted. They took apart the smaller displays on either side of the central on, which did not take very long with all three of them.

Link grabbed a stool from nearby and reached up to the top of the stall to take down the sign, while Madesi reached up to the other side.

"Look out!" Zelda screamed, pointing up behind them.

Up on the roof was a man dressed in a tight black garb that covered his body completely. He moved with startling speed, and flipped down off the roof landing right by Madesi who froze in place.

It happened so fast. An ethereal dagger formed in the man's hand, looking every bit as deadly as a real dagger, perhaps even more so. He reached for the jewellery on the table, but Madesi stepped in front of him, brandishing a weapon of his own. Just like that, the attacker plunged his weapon into Madesi's gut, and swiped the jewels before running off.

Link took off after him, while Zelda remained behind to heal the jeweller.

The attacker vanished into the crowd of people who were still oblivious to everything that had occurred. Link tried his best to spot his target in the sea of people, but was having no luck. He pushed through and came out on the other side of the market square, spotting the man dashing off down a back alley. Link ran after him only to see him run up the side of the city wall and leap over.

The Triforce of Courage flared on his hand, indicating to Link that he could do it too. He ran straight at the wall and instead of hitting it, he scrambled up and over. It felt odd, being in control of his body but not knowing what do to, and just… doing it.

The man saw Link still chasing him and yelled out what Link assumed to be a curse word. He shot two blasts of fire behind him and directly at Link who swiftly knocked them back with his sword. The first blast hit the ground and the thief's feet, and the second hit him squarely in the chest which sent him flying to the ground. He rolled onto his back just in time to see Link standing over him, sword pointed at his throat.

"Give it back, now," snarled Link.

He produced one of the silver chains that he had stolen, but instead of returning it to Link, he slipped it around his neck. The man vanished instantly, leaving Link standing there looking confused. He looked around, and spotted footsteps in the leaves on the ground. They were getting closer and closer, and Link did his best to act completely oblivious to them. As soon as they stopped directly in front of him, Link reached out and grabbed whatever he could find. He forced as much energy as he could out of his body and into the man in front of him. Link felt the man go limp beneath him, so he felt around until he got a hold of the stolen necklace.

He carried the unconscious man back to Riften and handed him over to the city guard, who had only just caught wind of the attack in the market place. Link was relieved when he spotted Madesi hobbling over, supported by Zelda. Her dress was stained with blood, of which Madesi had lost a lot.

Once they had seen to Madesi's wounds, Link and Zelda decided to spend the rest of the day testing out the power of the rings that they had been given. Each of them took turns hiding somewhere in the city while the other one searched, and eventually they found themselves standing just outside the city gates admiring the area's natural beauty.

They walked through the trees for a while, taking in the sights and sounds of the forest. They eventually came to sit down at the foot of a tree, right by a trickling stream of crystal clear water. Link had his back against the trunk, while Zelda rested her head on his legs. Link ran his fingers through her hair, the two of them enjoying the sunlight.

"Link," said Zelda, turning her head to face him, "don't ever make me use this ring for real, okay?"

He smiled, and nodded.

**-NARIKO-**

Nariko woke up in a panic, uncertain of where she was or how she got there. She looked around the strange room, completely bare save for the bed itself. Her head was throbbing, so much so that it made her retch.

A familiar laugh called out to her from beyond the doorway. "Kai?"

Nariko ran to the door and pushed it open, and saw her sister bounding down the hall. There was no one else in sight, and the odd silence that hung thick in the air made Nariko even more uneasy. She dashed out into the street and followed her sister, who danced around in the same playful manner she always did.

"Kai!" she called out. Her voice echoed throughout the empty streets.

Her sister laughed again before dashing off in another direction. Nariko followed again, moving through the twists and turns of the city streets. Half of the buildings looked very much the same as those she was used to from her clan and the other half were very old looking, made up mostly of a dark wood. Kai poked her head around the corner, looking directly at Nariko, the corner of her mouth raised in a slight grin.

"Kai! Wait for me!"

Kai giggled, disappearing once more. Nariko pursued, the turn leading into a large cobblestone square. Buildings surrounded it, all of them windowless and casting dark shadows on the ground.

Kai was sitting on the ground on the far side, holding something in her hands.

"Kai!" screamed Nariko, her emotions getting the better of her. She did not trust this city, something about it seemed… off to her.

She ran toward Kai as fast as her legs would carry her, but the square seemed to increase in length the further toward her sister she got. She was beginning to tire, her movements slowing down. A tear rolled down her face, worried that she would never reach her sister to help her. Just as she was about to give up, she felt a strange pressure on her forehead that filled her with the energy she needed. Nariko ran the last few steps and finally made it to Kai, who was holding a worm and a bird in her hands.

She smiled up at Nariko. "Bird? Or worms? It's tasty…"

Nariko suddenly felt very tired again, struggling to speak. "The others… Father… where are they?"

"Gone."

Nariko grimaced. "Dead?"

Kai shook her head. "Not dead, gone."

"Gone where?"

Kai looked away from Nariko, then dropped the worm into her mouth. "Master Shen said I must hide…"

"And did you?"

"Yes," replied Kai, smiling. "Well… a bit."

"Please Kai, you have to tell me what happened."

"I got bored. I climbed a tree. I saw those monsters again. They had Master Shen."

"And?"

"And some of the others."

Nariko cupped Kai's face in her hands, staring into her eyes. "Did you see where they were taking them?"

Kai nodded. "To the shadows."

Nariko stood up and looked around. "How did you escape?"

Kai chuckled again. "I didn't."

Nariko turned around to face her sister, noticing then that the area had gotten extremely dark. "Kai?"

Her sister dropped to her knees, crying out in pain as she did so. Nariko ran to her, and saw red markings cutting themselves into her sister's skin. The script crawled all over her body, first covering her toes, then her fingertips and eventually making its way to her face, where they circled into her eyes. She froze in place, a look of immense fear and pain locked in her expression. Nariko screamed as her sister slowly dissolved, leaving only the Heavenly Sword in her hands.

She could feel them burning, as if the Heavenly Sword was binding itself to her. Nariko looked up to the sky. "Please…" she whimpered, "don't take me yet."

The darkness split open, allowing a golden light to wash over her. For a few brief seconds, Nariko saw two sets of shiny blue eyes looking down on her. The pain in her hands had ceased, so she closed her eyes, and rested.

She believed that everything would be okay, and for the first time since the attack on her village, she smiled.


End file.
